When I was injured on the job and faced a disability retirement, I looked around and saw only the negative. I was driven by the fear of raising a teen-age daughter on a fixed income. I saw that my empty bank account meant I needed to quickly find a job but couldn't while I waited for attorneys and medical doctors to finalize my disability rating. I felt alone and overwhelmed and depression pressed upon me as I fell into a sense of hopelessness. Sound familiar?
How has 2020 stolen your life from you?
Stress is overwhelming everyone as we lose jobs, income, and purpose.
Parents are at a loss as more and more stress is placed on them with little to no help from those who impose the restrictions.
Schools are begging for mental health services because there are none available.
Businesses owners face closures due to government shut-downs.
Department Stores and malls have locked their doors, which means we can't go shopping to relieve our stress anymore.
Parks and hiking trails have closed in order to ensure that people didn't congregate and become super spreaders of the CoronaVirus.
Restaurants fight closures and patron number restrictions that leaves the masses waiting for their reopening.
Food prices are through the roof, products are being stored rather than shipped due to limited chain distribution and services. If you can find the things you're looking for (toilet paper and water seem to be missing again), you can't afford the elevated costs.
Recently I heard the Oregon government is saying any household gathering for Thanksgiving with over 6 people will face fines and potentially jail time and is telling neighbors to snitch on each other by calling the police.
People are eating drive-through garbage 3x a day every day.
Alcohol consumption is reminiscent of the Great Depression.
Children are literally contemplating death over the depressive feelings of their present circumstances.
Yes, fear of losing control is everywhere. But you have one thing in your life that you CAN control...you.
Be proactive. Think of ways to exercise. Drink water. Don't order take-out but prepare a meal that feeds your mind and nourishes your body. Exercise. Yes, I said it twice because we need to get up and start moving again. Statistically you have a greater chance of death from a heart attack than you do to catching CoronaVirus. Get off the couch, and DO SOMETHING. Play catch with your kids, walk around the block, go to an outdoor store and smell the roses. Look for beauty that can give you hope. Get away from the TV, the internet, and take your children away from it as well. Paint their bedroom, make stencils of hopeful sayings all over their rooms. Go through photo albums and update the photos on your walls. Clean the garage, office, and you're home. Being organized in your environment will help you be organized in your thinking. Do something you never had time to do before...write a book, write your memories, heck, write a letter to someone you miss.
When I changed up my way of looking at changes in my life, I found I enjoyed my time with daughter more, explored places I never had time for, baked more, painted my house, learned how to lay tile, and planted sod in my backyard. I learned how to replace leaky faucets, plant a garden, install an automatic sprinkler system, and drove a tractor for the first time in my life. The best part was my daughter was learning right along side me and we laughed more together, found humor in our mistakes, and rested more peacefully at night.
Isn't it time YOU make a change for the better?