Dealin’ with the ‘Rona Blues? Here are some tips to cope and thrive in these trying times.
Across the globe, life as we’ve known it has literally come to a screeching halt. The entire world is reeling in fear, uncertainty, and stress due to the ravages of COVID-19.
Your own world order has shifted dramatically. You’re now asked to distance yourself from your extended families and friends. You’re being asked to stay home from your place of worship, cancel celebrations and work from home. If you’re lucky to still have a job. Schools are closed, the markets are tanking, and toilet paper is scarce. How can you thrive when you feel like you’re just getting by?
Your new normal is anything but. So how do you deal with the ‘Rona blues?
You Have More Control Than You Think
As you adjust to this new, and hopefully temporary, normal, it’s easy to feel victimized, scared, and powerless But, as we know, there’s always another way of looking at things—a change in your perspective that will help shift your thoughts and allow you to navigate these tough times, with less fear and more audacity. You can’t get around the facts, but you can decide how you’ll approach them and deal with this situation. In other words, you really do have more control than you think.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself. The answers will help you look at things differently, which will begin the important shift in your perceptions.
1. What am I grateful for?
2. Where is the gift in this situation?
3. What is the lesson for me in this situation?
Carpe Diem
Seize the day! Don’t let fear stop you from living. Find ways to enhance your quality of life and keep your personal growth and soul’s evolution moving forward. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Stop binging on movies and munchies–expand your mind. Take an online class, learn to meditate, join a virtual meet up. Amazon Prime has an entire lecture series on anything you can think of–from the psychology of happiness to the Basics of Biblical Greek. Anything you’ve been curious about, you now have the opportunity to explore. Now that’s a way to thrive!
2. Create something–anything. Whether it’s baking, knitting, gardening, coloring, or mixology, creation is a soul-satisfying exercise in taking control and making something just for the sheer joy of it. The act of creating captures your mind keeps you in the moment (where the joy always resides) and gives you a sense of accomplishment. It feels even better when you’ve made something you can share.
3. Remember to play. In serious times, play is a necessary luxury. Play is what feeds our spirit and fuels our joy. You’ve been gifted this extra time, so play with it! Play with your kids, your partner, your pets. Even if you’re self-isolating, there are a million ways to amuse and thrive!
4. Lastly, you must be physically distant, but you need not be, and should not be, socially distant. Reach out and connect with the people you love and who love you. Pick up the phone and call someone you love. Facetime, Skype or Zoom with them. While we might be alone, nobody should feel lonely.
This is serious, and we must take it seriously. But like any other hurdle that comes up, where there’s a will, there’s a way. You can beat the ‘Rona Blues and emerge from this forced cocooning, a beautiful butterfly and thrive!
I’ve included some SOL Coach growth work designed to help you shift your negative perceptions, create more positive ones that will help you through so you can thrive!
Changing Perspective Worksheet
Hi, I’m Lori Certified Spiritual Love Coach, Author, Confidence Peddler, Angel Scribe, Irreverent Spiritualist, Girl Power Advocate, Love Connoisseur, Sun Lover, Cloud Watcher, Founder, SOL Innovations Coaching Group, The SOLSexy Transformation program and Proud Mom. That’s me, but here’s my official bio:
Lori is a fierce advocate for self-love and the positive ripple effect it has on the larger world. She is an intuitive life/spiritual coach, certified by the International Coach Federation (ICF), author, speaker, and teacher who specializes in 1:1 life coaching centered around self-love and soul alignment. She is also a transformational coach with We Inspire Justice, a social impact group who works with celebrities, influencers and content providers to promote equality, diversity and social justice within the entertainment industry and beyond.
Lori is an Emmy award-winning writer, and author of eight books, and is currently working on her ninth. She is a passionate and motivating speaker who has facilitated workshops all over the country and in Mexico. She is the Health and Wellness Director for the Life Luxe Jazz Festival and is responsible for the creative development and execution of the two-day programming centered around financial, physical, and emotional wellness for POC. She is a founding expert and programming chair of the Living Healthy List, an online source for honest and reliable information of health, wellness, personal development.
Her motto: True Masters Learn through Joy