How to cope in the midst of a pandemic

It’s trying times as we are currently faced with a situation that most of us have never faced before. Many of us are having to stay home, while others are still out there working on the front line. And none of us know what is going to happen next.

I’ve come across a lot of people expressing their fears about what is going to happen regarding their physical health, their mental health and of course their ability to support themselves if they lose their jobs.

I know it seems hard given we’re all stuck in the middle of it right now, but worrying about what may or may not happen, is not going to solve your problems, is it? So it’s time to stop the worrying! Otherwise you’re literally working on attracting more circumstances into your life to feel worried about, and you don’t want that!

In fact, if you’ve already lost your job, worrying about it isn’t going to get you your job back. So what can you do? The most important thing for all of us right now is to shift our focus onto what we do want – focus on the things that feel good.

Here’s a few things you can try during the moments when you feel the worry creeping up, or you’re just having a bit of a down moment:

1. Turn off the TV! I cannot stress this enough! If anything is going to send you into a deep, depressing spiral, it’s the TV. So it’s time to turn it off, unless you’re implementing #2.
2. If you must watch TV, only watch comedy or uplifting TV shows or movies. Do not watch the news or anything that contains “negative” or “depressing” content.
3. Log into YouTube and watch one of the many Abraham-Hicks videos on almost any topic you could think of – some of them are actually quite funny!
4. If you have a grassy yard and it’s not too cold on your feet, walk outside in bare feet for 10 minutes and ground yourself.
5. Hug a tree (in your yard – remember self isolation)!
6. Pamper yourself a little… take a warm, relaxing bath, paint your toenails, play with makeup even if you’re not going anywhere.
7. Take advantage of technology and video call a close friend or loved one and promise each other to focus on lifting each other up.
8. Read a book – something self-help or uplifting is perfect.
9. Take advantage of some online learning – there are many paid and free courses out there – make the most of every single one of them and learn a new skill!
10. Visualise yourself living an amazing and happy future – daydream about this often. How will it feel to be living this wonderful new life on the other side? Also use gratitude to shift your focus to all of the good things you have in your life right now.

What’s important right now is that while you must isolate in a physical sense right now, it’s important you don’t isolate yourself emotionally or in an “electronic” sense. Stay in contact with people, and join online groups which are of interest to you, so you can share how you’re going and seek support if you need it.

To help with this, today I have set up the Find My Sparkle Facebook Group! Go ahead and join the group and post any questions or comments you may have to help you get through this trying time. This group will evolve over time, and I see this as being a community where we all have the common goal, which is to find our inner sparkle so we can shine!