What to Do, What to Do

We’re living in unusual times. With schools and businesses closing, people staying in their homes, and the hoarding of supplies, it’s little wonder fear is running rampant in the streets. Whether it’s the fear of dying, fear of doing without necessities, or fear of the unknown, it’s daily growing bigger in some places and in some people. The fear may be rooted in having our routines and freedoms snatched away and feeling out of control. Americans are used to doing what they want, when they want, and where they want so when that’s threatened, many don’t know how to handle it.

 While living in utter fear and totally denial are not the ways to handle the C-virus crisis, being logical and practical may be hard when there’s so much information floating around. Conspiracy theories abound plus the misinformation that some are putting out make it difficult to sort out truth from fiction. The fear of the unknown is most powerful. The loss of control over what’s happening to us can drive us nutty.

So here’s some ideas to regain control of what you can control, namely yourself:

• Limit time watching and reading the news about the Corona virus (or whatever they’re calling it now). Watch or read enough to know what’s going on and then turn it off.

• If you’re working from home, focus on your job. Your office setting has little to do with the value of your work. Your co-workers will appreciate your calm and determination to keep going.

• Read books. Without guilt, I might add. You have the time to read so use it to educate yourself about history or get lost in a fictional place and time. Taking your mind off your worries for a little while helps you relax.

• Learn a new skill. The internet is full of places to learn new things. Learn how to speak a new language. Learn how to use Adobe Illustrator. Learn how to knit. Instructions for nearly everything under the sun is online to choose from.

• Reengage and get reacquainted with your family. Spend time in prayer and reading the Bible. Play games together. Share your fears or concerns.

• Keep a journal. Writing is therapeutic. You don’t have to worry about it being graded so don’t worry about how you write. Just get the words out of your head and onto paper. It eases the worry.

• Get outside and move. You don’t have to stay cooped up in your house all day long. Go outside in your yard and enjoy the sunshine. Do some grounding (see my blog https://cskjar.com/2019/10/touching-the-earth/).
• Keep in touch with people you care about via phone, videoconferencing, Facebook, texts, or any technological means. We’re blessed we have so many choices in keeping in touch with each other. Reach out and remotely touch a friend, especially the elderly.

• Take care of yourself. Wash your hands vigorously. Keep a safe distance from others. Don’t touch your face after you’ve touched surfaces that haven’t been sanitized.

Don’t worry. We’ll get through this, and later when we’re all intermingling again, we’ll share our stories of how we made it through.