By Stephanie DeFazio
With all that's escalated over the past week with COVID-19, it's as if time has stopped. We are hunkered down, fully stocked up (for the most part), and many of us have either lost our jobs or need to work from home. All the things we are used to doing-gathering with friends, trying out new restaurants, going to the movies, and even traveling, are now on hold. Almost everything is closed. It's so easy to get overwhelmed, anxious, and full of fear. How can we even manage to find a glimpse of peace and hope? Here are my thoughts on how to make it through such a crazy and challenging moment in time.
Call your friends or loved ones
Even though it's incredibly difficult to practice social distancing right now, even with family, it provides a great opportunity to still connect by phone and check in. Within the past few days, I found myself checking in with several of my friends all over the U.S. It's helped me feel sane and connected to people, and it also takes my mind off the anxiety of all the COVID-19 updates that flash across my phone nearly every hour. When we keep that connection going, it does give us a sense of peace and hope that this too shall pass.
Meditate
Peyton has been offering a few Facebook live meditations over the past week. I know many of you, including myself, have been so grateful for another opportunity to connect and bring calm back into our lives. It has reassured me that with the protection of our Angels and Spirit Guides, I can begin to relinquish my worries and fears and continue to press on, taking it one day at a time. It's all we can do and our "cheering squad" wants us to stay strong and hopeful!
Find a new hobby
I realize that when you're mostly limited to the indoors, your hobbies can also seem somewhat limited. I've found though that art of any kind is incredibly therapeutic to me these days, and it can be easily done indoors. My new hobby is a color by numbers app called Happy Color, and I highly recommend it! It's so enjoyable and a great way to zone out, stay calm, and bring in some peace.
Get introspective about what you truly want out of life
Already feeling like you're in a funk? Now that you literally have some extra time, it's a great opportunity to go deep and think about what you really want in life. Maybe there are some positive changes you can start to make with the way you think about life. What if there's an online certification you could complete over the next few weeks that will help enhance your skills? Maybe you've realized that life is too short to try to have peace with people that don't want to have peace with you. You may decide to be more selective about who you let into your life. These are just a few of the possibilities that can come out of some good old introspection.
Focus on the helpers
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in the world.”
— Mister Rogers
When it's so easy to get wrapped up in the latest news on COVID-19, I encourage you, just as Mister Rogers said, to look for the helpers. I believe, for this moment in time, this means to look for the news stories that are about the helpers, and also find a way that you can be a helper too. There's still so much good happening in the midst of this, with random acts of kindness, and the donation of food to several communities. We just need to take a step back and notice all of the hope.
If you're looking for some guidance and healing during this time, you can book an intuitive reading that can be done by phone with Peyton.
Stay well, and stay strong, everyone!