Right Now It's Like This

Breathe with me and say, "right now it's like this".

Living in a different world:

We are living in a different world and let's be honest, it's not easy. It's proven anxiety is more higher than ever. People have lost jobs, family, and income. Families have adjusted to distance learning and lack of social interactions compared to what it used to be. People are more lonely than they used to be. There's more tension than before because there are not as many getaways.

So, how are people not just surviving this time but thriving through it? What's the secret to not drowning during this time?

Not Alone:

To be honest I felt like one of these people in the beginning trying to figure out all this. I experienced loss, pain, income loss, and my daughters are home for distance learning. I felt discouraged but soon realized I wasn't alone just by looking at Facebook and Instagram. It seems like not just myself but others we're floating along in a vast ocean in a boat with no paddle. I know it's not a fun feeling.

Do Something:

I could sit and have a pity party or do what I can. Sometimes that meant sitting outside, exercising, reading a book, meditating, taking deep breaths, focusing on the good not the negative, and just grabbing the beauty in my life. It can mean journaling what's going on or doing something that makes you smile. Maybe for you that's photography, jogging, gardening, yoga, doing a crossword puzzle, etc. During this time as we're stuck at home, figure out things that you can do that still bring a sense of joy to your heart.

Others:

During this time, focusing on others instead of my problems immensely helped me. Whatever I was going through, there was someone else going through something harder. I reached out to people in elderly homes, made sure to stay in contact with friends and family, and used my social media to do checkups on how people were doing. I know it always helped me when I got a card in the mail for no reason. I could do that. It took my mind off myself and on other people.

Choices:

I had choices to make. I had to be open with what was really happening. To be real with others and myself. It's a time for me to learn to not oppose what's happening and resist it but actually accept it. I looked up the definition of opposed and this is it:

"eager to prevent or put an end to; disapproving of or disagreeing with".

I didn't want to live like that. It had been serving me no purpose but anxiety and no peace of my life.

Then I looked up the definition of accept: "consent to receive (a thing offered)". When I accepted what was being offered in my life, my current present circumstances, I found more contentment and peace in my life. A true sense of calmness.

Does that mean everyday? No, but it helped me accept true reality instead of pushing away from what is in my life.

One of my favorite phrases became: "Right now it's like this." Sometimes I would say that a few times a week. It was a way of accepting things for me.

If it's a hard day, I say that phrase and internalize it and accept it.

None of us know the future. I don't and you don't. What we do have is today. Being present in an ever-changing world is a gift.

To grab that gift, open it, receive it, and use it is even more special. I can say, "right now it's like this". I'm alright with that. There's beauty in it.