Thank you to those that are reaching out in response to recent posts. Keep sending me those emails (link below) and I will blog in response dear ones. I want you to know that I hear you and understand your pain.
I am hearing the intense loneliness and isolation.
I am hearing of lost time with dear loved ones.
I am hearing how much it has changed things within you.
I am hearing of lost opportunities and lost wages.
Insert hug here:
As a collective whole, we can build one another up. This is not the time for any one of us to turn a blind eye to those that are hurting and struggling.
It is important for us to reach out to those that are hurting and struggling. Finding ways to let our dear ones know that they are loved has never been more important. ❤️ May you reach out to someone you care about today.
TAKING ACTION ON WHAT IS IN OUR CONTROL: RECLAIMING PERSONAL POWER
So much is out of our control right now. But dear reader, one first step that we can take during this pandemic is to examine what IS in our control.
What difference will that make one might ask.
Let’s start with a very simple example.
If the heavy weight of the world has drained all motivation to take care of our daily needs, we can do something about that.
We may not feel like showering or doing the dishes. We may not feel like picking up the house or doing the laundry. We may not feel like doing the everyday things that we usually do.
Here is a reality however. When we fail to take care of self and home, it robs us of a sense of dignity and self-respect.
This is not the time to give up our personal power in any way.
It is incredibly important to understand that we DO HAVE PERSONAL POWER. Even with the simple act of caring for self and home, it can ignite a sense of empowerment.
Far too often we look at all that seems wrong in our lives and buy into a belief that we can do nothing about it. We believe that all the BIG things must change to feel better, for life to get better.
I have lived through moments of deep despair. I can tell you I did not begin to feel better about myself or my life by BIG things changing for me. Rather, I had to begin with reclaiming the every day mundane things. If I wanted things to BE different, I had to start DOING differently.
I remember feeling empowered by each and every thing that I reclaimed.
I may not have felt motivated at the time but it did not matter. I did it anyway.
I may not have felt like it mattered at the time. But I did it anyway.
Doing the little things helped rebuild my self-esteem.
Doing the little things helped me regain the control I felt I lost in other areas of my life.
Doing the little things helped me regain momentum that had all but stopped.
The only actions that made a positive difference then were healthy actions. Nothing changed when nothing was done. Everything changed when I started with the little things and rebuilt from that point.
Once I began to move in a forward direction, I began to DO more of the things that I would feel good about. It created a positive feedback loop.
So often life throws us curve balls. The pandemic certainly is one LARGE curveball in the game of life. I truly understand dear ones. I have been there. But I didn’t remain there and the same can hold true for you.
What can you do? Here are but just a few simple examples:
If you have stopped caring for yourself, shower, dress in clothes you feel good in, shave, style your hair, do your makeup or do your nails, etc. This promotes self-esteem and self-respect. I always feel better about myself when my nails are done and I wear heals to the office. Take care of yourself for YOU! YOU are worth it!
If you have let your house go, tackle one task a day: make your bed, pick up your clothes, do your laundry, do your dishes. How we care for our surroundings often indicates the condition of our hearts and minds. These days I have become a “nester” (my kids tease me about this). But I ALWAYS make sure any of my personal or professional spaces are arranged to promote comfort and coziness. It is an absolute must for me.
If you aren’t able to see your family and dear ones; if loneliness and isolation have set in, make it a point to Skype or FaceTime on a regular basis. Somehow I feel closer to my dear ones when I can SEE them versus just talking.
Find new ways of creating connections. Do you have a dear one in the military? Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? Start writing to them on a regular basis. Getting outside ourselves and giving love to another through cards and letters is a great way of bridging the loneliness gap so many are feeling.
These are just a few examples. May we examine the simple in our lives, the things we have surrendered control of and reclaim them! Start with ONE thing. Do it today. Then choose another thing tomorrow.
Create your own social experiment and examine how you feel in one week, two weeks, in a month. A body in motion will stay in motion dear ones.
May we all choose action today. Remember dear reader, we are all in this together.
Blessings dear ones,
Christine