Today marks the first full week that my kids’ schools are closed due to the Coronavirus and that I’m working from home. Each day I turn on the TV and the news is worse. I’ve written about the power of writing in a journal and how it can be like a time capsule.

Today the entire state of California has gone into lockdown. The governor has asked all Californians to stay at home and has banned gatherings. The order affects 40 million people. In Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf has ordered that all businesses that are not “life-sustaining” to shutdown.

I write fantasy and science fiction, and I currently feel like I’m living in a dystopian novel.

The best guess of scientific experts is that the virus will reach its peak in 45 days. With businesses shut down, schools closed, and families working remotely and kids doing their best to learn virtually, the path ahead is challenging.

We have no answers, and the statistics look bleak. When I last looked, there were 10,781 cases of Coronavirus in the United States. This morning there are 14,387. The United States has done the least amount of testing in comparison to other countries. As of March 17, the United States had only tested 25,000 specimens whereas South Korea tested 274,000 people in March (the CDC’s tracking numbers come in days later, and sometimes multiple specimens from the same person are tested rather than people).

When there are complex problems beyond our control, and there’s no end in sight, what to do?

I have trained for three marathons, and this work takes months at a time. I’ve had to run 13.1 miles (a half marathon) before work at 4:30 a.m. and have even run 20 miles when it was snowing. What I learned is that each of us has a tremendous amount of power and energy. If we believe in something, we can push through and continue onward.

We are currently going through unprecedented times. You might read this during the time of the Coronavirus pandemic or afterward when you’re going through a personal crisis. But the message is the same: Each of us needs to decide what to do. We can choose to become paralyzed with fear or get caught in a spiral in which we perseverate and focus on the negative.

Or we can choose to help.

What do I mean?

Mr. Rogers once said: “When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

That’s great advice.

But now we’re adults.

Look into the nearest mirror and see your reflection.

You are a helper.

Or at least you can be if you choose to do so.

In this crisis, what skills can you have to help? Can you write a song, record it, and share it on social media?

Are you a writer like me and can share some positive stories to help? Or work virtually with other people to help your community?

There are thousands of ways you can become a helper. We are not waiting to be saved. We can rescue ourselves.

Help yourself. Help others.

The amount of time that the pandemic might last is unknown.

But what is known is your individual power and beauty.

Take a risk and help others.

What do you have to lose?

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.