Many of us are feeling anxious, afraid, overwhelmed, and powerless over the coronavirus pandemic. Everywhere we look, we’re confronted with news of the virus spreading, schools shutting down, grocery stores with empty shelves, and states of emergency being declared. We’re concerned about our loved ones and our most vulnerable populations.
Additionally, many of us have been asked to stay home from work, leaving us completely to our own thoughts and the internet. It’s going to be easy to spend this time spinning in news reports and panic until all we can see is doom. But I want to suggest an alternative and help you find ways to create some good in a volatile situation.
Being worried and feeling fear is expected. But spending your whole day fretting, wondering what-if, researching statistics, refreshing news pages, and/or engaging in the negative commentary on social media is simply not helpful or useful to you or your family. The act of worrying itself will not change the circumstances (apart from creating undue stress in your life).
Yes, it is important to remain informed and take the necessary precautions to limit travel and your contact with other people.
And yes, do think about things you can do to help others and your community during this time.
But outside of this, it is important for your own wellbeing to limit your intake of stressful/negative information, and use the extra time as a catalyst for positive change in your life. I’m allowing myself an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening to read up on what’s going on in the country and the world. But outside of that, I’m staying in my apartment and channeling my energy into my online work, learning, creating, and focusing on positive media.
There’s so much we can’t control during this time, but we can control:
Our thoughts.
Our words.
How we react.
How we serve and treat others amid crisis.
In the face of worry, anxiety, information overload, and uncertainty, here are some quotes to remind you to channel your focus into what you can control and also to remind you that we are truly all in this together.
“Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.” – Nelson Mandela
“Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.” – Eckhart Tolle
“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” – Unknown
“Worry does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.” – Randy Armstrong
“When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer
“Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.” – Unknown
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” – Seneca
“You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” – Timber Hawkeye
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Confucius
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” Desmond Tutu
“Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.” G.K. Chesterton
“Inhale courage. Exhale fear.” – Unknown
“Today, I will not stress over things I cannot control.” – Unknown
“True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain, but also being moved to help relieve it.” – Daniel Goleman
“Your DREAMS have not been canceled. Your focus has not been banned. Your habits need not be postponed. Your daily discipline need not be shut down. Don’t stop working toward your dreams and striving to be your best.” Brendon Burchard
Thank you for reading!