The Invisible Thief
My last blog post was January 25th, 2020. Maybe inexcusable in the mind of a writer, but understandable considering the great robbery of 2020. Our peace of minds, our livelihoods, our sanity and our ability to BE with people we love and care for has been stolen by an invisible thief…fear!
You probably thought I would say COVID-19, right? Well, COVID-19 is more visible than fear, worry or silence. It’s all over the news, the internet, and it’s all over people’s faces. But the fear that it has created around the globe is an invisible force that is consuming peace and tranquility like the fiery melting hot lava of an angry volcano that has been dormant for thousands of years. Taking precaution versus throwing caution to the win, with judging eyes everywhere. Wearing your mask has become not only a point of conversation, but a point of fashion. Smiles covered by team logos, fun images of our favorite things, or just a temporaray throwaway guard that helps keep us safe. Where is the mask for our mind? The mask that guards our minds against the unraveling, the restlessness or the fear?
One of my favorite quotes is actually from a movie Fantastic Beasts. “Worrying means you suffer twice” — Newt Scamander. All the time we spend worrying, we never ever get back. And don’t for one minute think I am underestimating what is happening and what COVID-19 truly is; it’s real, it is a scary, unpredictable virus that affects everyone differently. How can we battle such fear? Such worry? Isolating ourselves and losing sleep (with our minds as well) is what the fear wants but we must have hope!
It’s a miraculous thing when a flower will find a crack through the thickest part of the cement. A drop of water and just a hint of light and a flower can bloom. If this tiny flower can find the light, we will as well. We will persevere. We will rise and overcome. Heading into 2021, we are a different world. How we approach every single minute is up to us, and we must embrace hope with an expectation and an appreciation of what we have!
So take 5 I say!
Here are 5 steps to minimizing the fear and maximizing the hope:
1. Reach out to a friend with a simple “hi, how are you?”
2. Take a break from social media! Frankly speaking, comparing ourselves to others can be a real downer.
3. Turn off the news! It’s one thing to be informed and another to be obsessed.
4. Remind yourself this is uncharted territory and it’s ok to not be ok.
5. Plan something (anything) for the near future. Having it on your calendar gives you a hopeful focal point.
The great things we hope to happen are the best New Year’s resolutions we can make. Take what we know, follow our hearts, and apply it to what we want.
Cheers to 2021! 🍾
