I don’t know when you will read this. I’m still in quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic and I’ve been using meditation, podcasts, self-help books, and visualizations to help me get through this difficult time.
In an article in the Washington Post this week, the Census Bureau has found that “a third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety or depression.” We are going through a difficult time and we do not know when the difficult times will end.
Some reports say that we’ll have a vaccine by the end of 2020, other reports say that the “coronavirus may never go away—even with a vaccine.”
The anxiety and stress can trigger people and exacerbate already difficult times. Add on top of that that more than 39 million Americans are out of work, the enormity of the problem that we are facing is daunting.
The good news is that we are not alone. I plan to work on taking care of myself.
A good way for us to do that is to focus on daily affirmations. When we think negatively, that creates a cycle that goes round and round.
Let’s start with something simple. Stand in front of a mirror and say, “I love myself and I will be okay.”
Hug yourself and then take time throughout the day to write down (with paper and pen/pencil) some affirmations.
Hana Kahn has put together a free affirmations guide (that even includes a section on Covid-19) that I recommend that you download and review. In Kahn’s guide, she focuses on relationships, money, career and gives you a list of affirmations that you can choose from and use each day.
When you write an affirmation out by hand, it helps give you the power to focus on the positive in your life.
With the struggles that we are all going through, it’s time to build up our skillset. Exercise, meditation, mindfulness, affirmations, therapy/counseling, self-help books, and the like are resources that we can use to help us get through any difficult time.
We do not know how long the pandemic will last if there will be a second wave if the worst is over, or what might come next. But what I do know is that practicing positive skills that help us deal with stress, anxiety, worry, and unhealthy behaviors from growing up in an alcoholic/dysfunctional family is needed now.
You will be okay.
To start, what positive step can you take today?
Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.