Remaining positive during a pandemic

“Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on the hard days you know that there are better ones coming”

 I woke this morning committed to engaging in my morning daily practice of journaling. I had avoided it for some time, feeling the weight of the world and not inspired.

 And so, I remembered that my daily rituals do fulfil me, committing to my daily practice of journaling is a way for me to process, release and realign. It does take discipline, yet I have such a deep craving for these rituals even more so now.

What an extreme time we find ourselves in! A global pandemic. I am cautiously optimistic, not knowing what will present itself, yet trusting this too shall pass.

 To me it feels like a humanity shake-up, an individual quest to find peace, balance & harmony. It’s certainly disruptive and in the chaos my mind swirls with all sorts of feelings and emotions. Thoughts of uncertainty constantly creep in.

 Wanting a better life, a better world? What does that even look like? The dance between the inner and outer worlds.

 Perhaps this is a time to question our priorities and evaluate our lives. It is the time to own our minds and emotions and direct them from within and not have them dictated by outside circumstances.

 Now is the time to focus on our wellbeing and create our own new world.

 Believe it or not, this could be the best year of your life. It’s possible to tune out the noise, get clear on the life you want, and manifest it in the present.

 We live in an unprecedented era of infinite information and infinite opportunities. You have the potential to grow this year more than ever before.

 You don’t have to take on all the worlds suffering, every piece of drama and trauma that is being digitised and packaged to get our attention.

 Ask yourself ~ “What do I choose to focus on that I can control and influence”.

 In moments of uncertainty and overwhelm, control your little corner of the world. Organise your bookshelf, purge your wardrobe, put together that piece of furniture. It helps to anchor and ground us when the bigger things are chaotic.

 Your attention is precious.

Point your focussed attention at things you want to feed and cultivate.

Find a long-term project to dive into. Now is the time to learn how to play the guitar, put together a huge jigsaw puzzle, paint a picture, read a novel series, find something that will keep you busy and engaged from the outside world.

Finding an expressive creative outlet is very receptive to our emotional brain and it is a direct portal for release of feeling. Research has shown that repetitive movement (painting, knitting, sculpting, felting) can be effective at self-soothing and maintaining self-regulation in moments of distress.

 Now is our time to strengthen our trust in a brighter future despite all.

Let’s not indulge in the negative, let’s focus on what we do want to experience.

Remind yourself daily that this is temporary. It can seem in the midst of this quarantine that it will never end. It can be daunting to think of the road stretching ahead of us. Remind yourself it is a season of life and it will pass. We will return to feeling free, safe, busy and connected in the days ahead.

The truth is, the world is no better or worse than it’s ever been. Despite the possible existence of a real world outside you, it’s your senses, beliefs, values and nervous system that filters in the bulk of what you experience and create.

If you must, consume the information you need of this current situation during the day, not first thing in the morning or last thing before bed, which is when you program yourself with what you want.

Find the lesson, the potential positive outcomes. The meaning and construction that can come out of destruction. What can each of us learn here, in big and small ways, from this crisis? What needs to change in ourselves, our homes, our communities, our nation, and our world?

 Seasons come and go, the years pass by so quickly and before we know it, time has passed us by. Are you wanting it to change, a change of pace, an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and your loved ones? To slow down and pick up again with renewed energy.

 2020 still has plenty of time to turn it around for you, believe it or not, this could be the best year of your life.