A wild ride of emotions this week

It’s been a surreal week.

Things seem to be changing every single hour.

I kind of feel like I’m on that roller coaster in the dark at Disney, with nothing to hold on to.

A wild ride of challenging emotions and uncertainty.

In addition to the emotions I’ve been having surrounding COVID-19, me and others that I care about have also had to deal with the shock and sadness of losing someone close to us.

June was a beautiful person, a running buddy, and an amazingly caring and gentle friend.

There have been lots of tears this week.

It’s so hard to say good bye to someone you love, especially at this time, when we can’t get or give the comfort of a hug, or invite each other over, or have a funeral.

It feels like the world is upside down.

No ground under our feet.

And this feeling is a little scary, I’ll admit.

Are you feeling scared these days?

I think if you’re human you’re probably feeling some shade of scared.

Fear is definitely here.

Fear of getting sick, fear of making someone else sick, fear of not being able to pay your bills, fear of the economy crashing.

And although these fears are normal, I know they’re not really a reliable place to direct our lives from.

So I’m doing my best to recognize and rein in my fears and choose other feelings and emotions that serve me better.

First, I’m choosing to be sad at the loss of my friend, to mourn her, to cry about not seeing her again, to feel those emotions so I can say good bye for now.

I want to feel sad because that feels right, it feels necessary.

But in relation to COVID-19, I don’t feel I need to feel fear, so I’m doing my best to choose calm.

I know there’s very little within my control, now more than ever.

But despite that, I know that I can choose the information I let in (limit CNN), and the thoughts and feelings I have in relation to this circumstance.

All circumstances are neutral, it’s the thoughts and feelings around them that create fear.

I helps me to know that this virus is a neutral circumstance… On it’s own, it’s not negative, not positive, it’s just a fact.

But when I think thoughts about the virus like, “This virus is killing thousands,” or “What if I get it and spread it?” or “Stay away from me!” then I feel fear.

Fear of the catching the virus, and worse, fear of others.

Fear for me feels like tension in my back and neck, knots in my stomach, and frustration.

When I feel these sensations and emotions, then I know I need to press pause on my mind.

What are the thoughts in my head that are leading me to feel these things?

When I notice what I’ve been thinking, I’m like “Oh ya, that’s why I feel this way.”

And although these fearful thoughts might at first get me to take all the proper precautions, they’ll also have me frustrated with everyone and feeling pretty crappy about the whole situation.

Instead I believe that I can choose to take precautions from a place of hope, love, empathy, and compassion.

I really want to.

And the thoughts I’ll need to think are things like “I’m choosing to protect myself and others,” or “I’m changing the course of the virus,” or “I have the power to make a difference through my small actions.”

With those thoughts, I can already tell I’ll feel a whole lot less fear and whole lot more calm, and in control of me.

I’ll be able to breathe. 

Body and mind will be less tense.

I’ll feel more connected to others in a positive way.

And feeling that we’re all connected, knowing that what we do affects others and the planet, it’s that feeling that will be the most transformational in this situation.  Not fear.

That’s what I believe, deeply.

It begins with a thought.

It ends with love.

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How are you doing today?

Each day is different, so how are things for you today?

As of yesterday, me and many others have been laid off of work.

I’m ok with that, I understand the need, and I’m all for it.

Others still, like nurses, doctors, and police officers are working courageously in situations that put their health at risk. Not to mention those who are working in our grocery stores and pharmacies.

I’m so grateful for all of them.

No matter how you’re weathering this situation, I think it’s an opportunity to learn more about yourself and become the person you want to be.

I want to take this time I’ve been given to work on that, especially now that I’m in close quarters 24/7 with the ones I love.

If I can be that person under these circumstances, then it should be a lot easier the rest of the time.

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Stay healthy, stay home as much as possible, and keep moving forward,

Debbie

P.S. I’m bringing back the 10-Day Immune Boosting, Belly Fit Spring Challenge for an encore..

Although the challenge ends this Friday, I’m going to relaunch it Monday, March 30th for those that missed it or those who want to try it again.

Just sign up here and you’ll get 10 days to build up a workout one exercise at a time (plus I snuck in some extra challenges too!)