Late last night, I learned that due to the Coronavirus, the quarantine in my state had been extended another 28 days. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the bad news that I see on the news, and I had hoped that by now, the sheltering at home order would have been lifted.
But that’s not the case.
The reality that my family and I are living with is that we do not have a clear timeframe for when the quarantine will be lifted, and I don’t fully know how the next phase will affect all of us and how long that might last.
I am disappointed. I’m worried. I’m afraid.
When I take all of this in and try to deal with my emotions, it’s hard.
I share this with you because I want you to know that there are times when life can be challenging and unfair. I do not have an easier way of saying that. I won’t lie to you.
How will you respond to disappointment? Will you give up? Will you throw your hands up in dispair? Or worse, will you take out your frustration and disappointment on someone else?
Each of us has a choice, and we will need to come to terms with how we handle that disappointment.
I have no power to make the Coronavirus go away. The world in which I live will need to find ways to get by until a vaccine is found or better medical treatments become available. But that does not mean that I will give up.
Finding the balance between hardship and flexibility is not as easy as we go about our daily lives.
You will face disappointment. How you handle that challenge is up to you?
My plan to move forward? The work that I have been doing for the last few years is helping me with my present challenge. My writing, the running, and meditating are key activities that help me handle my disappointment and frustration.
To shore up my skills, I’m listening to more podcasts that deal with personal development and have added more self-help books to my reading time. The work that I need to do will take time, but I am making decisions to exercise my body, mind, and spirit.
Doing the hard work might seem like an impossible task, but if you break down the work and see if, from a different perspective, you can grow and then thrive.
To prepare for the month ahead (and beyond), I need to handle my disappointment, stress, and fear by admitting to them. I believe that sharing how you feel (to a trusted person) allows you to help give you the strength to overcome the feelings and let them go.
To grow, I need to be honest with how I feel and then do the work to strengthen my resolve.
I hope and pray that when you read this that you will not be in the pandemic still. But if you are, know that you are not alone. Day by day, step by step, we can get through this together.
Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.