I control my thoughts and actions. And the past few weeks my thoughts and actions have sucked. I’ve let my guard down. I’ve fallen victim to the news and social media hysteria. I have been consumed by fear, religiously scrolling through my Facebook feed, going down the rabbit hole from article to article. I’ve even woken my husband up at 4am and made him promise me he would not leave the house. I’ve been consumed with everything I can’t control — this virus, other people’s opinions and actions, the government, the economy. Can anyone else relate?
A crisis is a magnifying glass. It amplifies our normal tendencies and typical behaviors. This is an opportunity to examine how we react in a situation. For me, I have realized how much I live in fear and negativity. I am a new mom and there is a lot to worry about! But this is not how I want to raise my son. I want him to see his mom living in faith, choosing the positive in every situation.
Now, more than ever, we must be stringent on the information we choose to absorb. It’s easy to focus on the negative or what is going wrong. We’ve all had plenty of practice at one point or another fixating on the negative. But focusing on the negative only empowers the problem. It takes discipline to condition the mind to focus on the positive and what is right. We are in a crisis. No one can deny that. But we have a tremendous opportunity to be an example of choosing faith over fear and being a beacon love and light. This is a time we can come together as a global community to help and support each other.
You are in choice. These words have never rung truer. I am taking accountability and putting my thoughts and actions in check. I have decided to limit my time watching the news, reading social media posts, and no more rogue late-night Googling! I’m using the time I would spend scrolling to read and listen to podcasts that lift me up and make me feel empowered. It’s amazing what a little empowerment does to my mood and my general outlook on the world! I’m enjoying the extra time I get to spend with my husband, baby boy and my fur babies. I am focusing on the things I can control like building my immune system with vitamins, elderberry syrup and getting some extra rest. I am reflecting on what is important to me and how I want to show up in the world, which so desperately needs some positive light.
We will get through this, my friends. But in the meantime, who do you want to be during this time and, eventually, on the other side?
