The Thing You CAN Control During These Uncertain Times
Life is always a little uncertain, but never quite the way it's been in the last couple of weeks.
A little over a week ago, I was having dinner with my husband. We had an impromptu date night to celebrate some good news when the TV screen in the bar flashed, "Breaking News: NBA to cancel the remainder of the season after tonight's games."
...umm what?
The domino-effect of events that took place after that announcement was surreal, and today, a mere week and half later, people across the country are sitting in their homes, contemplating this new reality. Schools are going virtual, people are working from home, or are not working at all. Cities, Counties, and even entire states have been ordered to stay at home, and limit gathering in groups, or gathering at all. Seemingly overnight, the entire world changed.
For some, drastic change is a scary thing, and even more so when it's attached to scary-sounding words like, "pandemic." As humans, it's in our nature to worry. We have metacognitive abilities (that's a giant word that means we have the ability to think about our thoughts) and it can be a blessing, and a curse. Not only are some of us worrying about everything -- What's a pandemic? How am I going to pay my bills? What if one of us gets sick? What if we run out of food? -- but we are taking it one very troublesome step further, and worrying about the fact that we have something to worry about in the first place. (Trust me, I know and am even related to people like this).
I'm also talking from experience because I used to be a big-time worrier.
Leaving me alone with my thoughts was highly risky. I could conjure up problems that no one had even considered yet and worry about them as if they were happening right now and I just had to figure them out. Most of my teenage years and a good chunk of my 20s were spent in this constant state of anxiety. Current me would love to go back and yell at that version of me, "Calm TF down, woman!" Living constantly worried robbed me of the ability to be present. It wasn't until I accepted that everything is beyond my control that I was really able to stay in the moment, and really live.
What we fear, more often that not, is what we don't know, and right now there are A LOT of unknowns. I could list them for you, but we'd be here a while. Not knowing can be scary, but if we are honest, even when there is no pandemic, life is still FULL of unknowns. The difference is that we have our routines, our jobs, our school life, our friends and family...we have the familiar surrounding us and keeping us feeling safe. Right now, the familiar has been stripped away and replaced with territory that the majority of us have never even imagined exploring.
Try not to be afraid. I know, it's easier said than done, but we have to accept the fact that there is literally nothing we can do to make our situation different. The only thing we can control is our attitude, our perspective, and our choice to lean on our faith (whatever that means for you), and not on our fear. Do what you can to enjoy this unexpected pause on life. Make the most of your time, and if you find yourself engaging in a little too much thinking, repeat after me:
"This too shall pass."
A little over a week ago, I was having dinner with my husband. We had an impromptu date night to celebrate some good news when the TV screen in the bar flashed, "Breaking News: NBA to cancel the remainder of the season after tonight's games."
...umm what?
The domino-effect of events that took place after that announcement was surreal, and today, a mere week and half later, people across the country are sitting in their homes, contemplating this new reality. Schools are going virtual, people are working from home, or are not working at all. Cities, Counties, and even entire states have been ordered to stay at home, and limit gathering in groups, or gathering at all. Seemingly overnight, the entire world changed.
For some, drastic change is a scary thing, and even more so when it's attached to scary-sounding words like, "pandemic." As humans, it's in our nature to worry. We have metacognitive abilities (that's a giant word that means we have the ability to think about our thoughts) and it can be a blessing, and a curse. Not only are some of us worrying about everything -- What's a pandemic? How am I going to pay my bills? What if one of us gets sick? What if we run out of food? -- but we are taking it one very troublesome step further, and worrying about the fact that we have something to worry about in the first place. (Trust me, I know and am even related to people like this).
I'm also talking from experience because I used to be a big-time worrier.
Leaving me alone with my thoughts was highly risky. I could conjure up problems that no one had even considered yet and worry about them as if they were happening right now and I just had to figure them out. Most of my teenage years and a good chunk of my 20s were spent in this constant state of anxiety. Current me would love to go back and yell at that version of me, "Calm TF down, woman!" Living constantly worried robbed me of the ability to be present. It wasn't until I accepted that everything is beyond my control that I was really able to stay in the moment, and really live.
What we fear, more often that not, is what we don't know, and right now there are A LOT of unknowns. I could list them for you, but we'd be here a while. Not knowing can be scary, but if we are honest, even when there is no pandemic, life is still FULL of unknowns. The difference is that we have our routines, our jobs, our school life, our friends and family...we have the familiar surrounding us and keeping us feeling safe. Right now, the familiar has been stripped away and replaced with territory that the majority of us have never even imagined exploring.
Try not to be afraid. I know, it's easier said than done, but we have to accept the fact that there is literally nothing we can do to make our situation different. The only thing we can control is our attitude, our perspective, and our choice to lean on our faith (whatever that means for you), and not on our fear. Do what you can to enjoy this unexpected pause on life. Make the most of your time, and if you find yourself engaging in a little too much thinking, repeat after me:
"This too shall pass."
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