It’s December 22, 2020 and I’ve lived through, as has the rest of the world, the most intense nine months of my life. COVID made two pregnancies, C-Sections and a 30+ hour delivery, feel like a spa treatment in Bali.
Despite the mass hysteria that took over at the beginning of the pandemic causing shortages of toilet paper, sanitizer and face masks, along with the increasing number of casualties and seeing people become paralyzed by fear, I’ve maintained equanimity. Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t buried my head in the sand, I’ve just chosen to look at the situation differently.
To get me through I practiced what I know best, which is to find answers from within and to use common sense. I’m 63 years old and my husband is 74. We’re not partying with large groups of people nor attending big gatherings until there’s a solution to the virus. We wash our hands with soap and hot water upon re-entering our house and before eating a meal. We taught our children to cover their mouths if they’re going to cough or sneeze and to stay home if they’re unwell. These are not new practices for us. It’s our lifestyle.
I seldom rely on the news. After all, I can find as many opinions in favor of a topic as I can against it. If I relied on mainstream reporting, I’d be paralyzed with fear as are thousands of people currently across the globe. Media and news are in the business of making money out of alarmism. It’s Sales Principle 101.
Every sales class I’ve ever taken teaches that humans are far more driven to take action based on fear rather than gain. Look around. There are countless individuals thinking the worst and allowing scare tactics to dictate their behavior. I know someone who has barricaded herself in her house since March. This is not how I want to live. So, I’ve drowned out listening to the fear mongers and made the intentional choice to live as joyfully and peacefully as I can, no matter how long this lasts or whatever else comes along. I want to light the way for others to do the same.
I’m not immune to the virus. My immediate family all got it. They’re alright now and I believe that it was their mindset that played the greatest role in their quick recoveries. But not everyone is fueled by positive thoughts. And this is precisely the point of this article.
During the height of the virus, contractors came and went in and out of my house. I didn’t force them to wear masks but I was appreciative of those who did. It was an intentional decision on my part not to demand it. I knew the risk that I was taking but I wanted to enjoy life as normally as possible.
C19 didn’t deter me from taking a cross-country road trip in October. It was an adventure I’ve always wanted to have and an experience I checked off my bucket list. I have new adventures planned for 2021.
I’ll admit that I have moments of weakness when angst creeps in. The longer this virus goes unresolved and the more time I spend in closed quarters with my life partner, who does not see the world as I do, the situation tries my patience.
I’m a solution-oriented individual and I know that every problem has more than one solution. Still, on occasion, when concern gets the better of me I remind myself that I’m in control of my thoughts and that I can change negativism in an instant.
There are a number of things, such as turning to Master thinkers and Zooming with like-minded friends, that help me to blow away dark clouds, especially in times when everyone around me is singing a dirge.
Foremost I isolate and go inside. I drown out other people’s chatter, especially if it comes from the media or doomsayers. I align with positive thoughts and follow my intuition. This practice is called heart/brain coherence. Check out the Heart Math Institute or Gregg Braden on the subject.
To calm myself, I take long slow deep breaths and repeat affirmations such as:
- All is well
- I have inner peace
- My natural state is that of well being
- This too shall pass
- Nothing lasts forever
- We’re going through a recalibration
- I’ve been in worse situations and I always come out better
- There’s a lesson in this and I’m going to ace the class
- I’m not alone
- I am light
- I am energy
- Energy doesn’t get sick
- Energy doesn’t hurt
- Energy can transform but it can never be destroyed
- I’m appreciative and thankful for… and then I list a barrage of things that I’m grateful for starting with the ability to choose my thoughts.
I know these affirmations are true deep in my bones, so why do I doubt at times? I’m human, after all. How else can I know what I want if I don’t know what I don’t want? We all need contrast to be able to choose preferences. They key is to focus on what we desire. This is an attraction-based Universe. If I don’t want fear to paralyze me, I get up, dust myself off and visualize what I want.
We’ve ascended into the age of Aquarius. This new era began about fifty years ago, a period when the common good will drive most of our thoughts and actions. We had plenty of practice in the last millennia to consider better ideas and ways of implementing them. We made huge errors in the past from decisions taken from a place of fear and scarcity rather than from a place of love, cooperation and abundance.
In community, rather than in opposition or competition, we will solve problems in innovative ways and we will all thrive. Remaining frozen in fear is not part of that equation.
Photo by Lexie Barnhorn on Unsplash