If you’ve been paying any attention to social media, and really, who hasn’t, then you’ve seen all the divergent opinions out there. People have opinions about how bad this thing really is, how it’s all a hoax, how the virus is going to rampage our community. People have lost their loved ones, or can’t visit them, or have lost their jobs, or put on furlough, or any number of other things. You might be on the front lines, still working, and scared of contracting this virus.
You Deserve a Brilliant Life. Let it Shine.
Along with all of that information, there’s a glut of opinions about what to do with your time. You can learn a language, a new skill, cook for yourself, finally get healthy, lose weight, etc. The point of this post today is to say, go easy on yourself.
It’s true. You probably do have a lot more time to fill now, unless you are an essential worker, and then you’re on the front lines, so to speak. People are running the gamut right now with where they are at emotionally. And it’s all perfect. Some of you, I’m sure, are full on grieving right now. You have lost a loved one, or you’ve been fired, or your business has closed. Or perhaps you’re just grieving the loss of your routine! For me, I love my routine. It gives me purpose and vigor, and the right attitude to take on the day. That was heavily disrupted over the last couple of weeks. We took time off to reconsider our procedures and do what is best for our Brilliant Life community.
Go easy on yourself.
You don’t have to start that book, or learn to cook, or knit a sweater, or do 100 yoga classes. If you want to, then go for it! But please don’t feel like you have to. For some people, curling up on the cough, watching Netflix all day, and just making sure that the kids are alive is enough. And you know what? It is enough right now. You don’t need my permission, or anyone else’s, to be how you be.
Part of the problem is social media. We see snippets of highly successful people living their best life possible, even in the midst of corona. It’s all over my feed, that’s for sure. I subscribe to people who are high achievers, because that’s what I want to be. And so I’ve been bombarded with fifty different workouts I can do from home, mindset videos encouraging me to be my best self, especially now, when the world is on fire.
But easy does it.
The biggest thing I’ve gotten out of this is to just take each moment as it comes.
It’s a good philosophy any time, but especially in times of struggle and strife. No one ever knows what tomorrow may bring, and we delude ourselves into thinking that we do. But we don’t. Especially now, we have no idea what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or next month. We can’t control our environment, and our circumstances are what they are. Worrying about the future is almost inevitable, but ultimately does no good. Take the steps you can take, even if they feel small.
So go easy on yourself.
Take a deep breath and let it out. Know that right now, if you’re reading this, you are alive. The situation isn’t ideal, and you have the tools you have. Control over your circumstances is an illusion. You do have control over what actions you take. And only you can really know what is right for you.
For me, I need to start sharing more of what we do as a family to stay healthy. Because while I cannot control what virus will come along, I can control how able my body is to deal with it. I can do the things that keep me and my family healthy. That’s something I can do. So tune in to my Facebook profile every Wednesday for my musings about health and how to live a Brilliant Life.
In health,
Dr Paul