Hello Fellow Readers and Writers–
If you’re a writer, you may think this blog post is about writing. In a way it is, but it goes much deeper, and it’s for everyone–reader or writer.
We’re living in the weirdest time of our lives right now. If you’re not worried about catching COVID-19, then you’re worried that you’ll have enough food, toilet paper and hand sanitizer. At the beginning of this year, I lost a dear friend, and I thought that was all the “bad” I’d experience. But no. It was just the start of the strangest year I, or anyone else, will probably live through.
We’re going to have mini-meltdowns from all this stress, and that’s to be expected. (I had one yesterday, and the snow and dreary weather didn’t help). Journaling helped me, but so did the loving support of my husband. As I was writing in my journal, I wondered what we could all do to get through this craziness with our sanity intact. Here’s what I came up with.
Stay in touch with friends and family by phone–every day. Yes, we’re kind of quarantined in our homes, but we can still use the phone and reach out to those we care about. Also, call your neighbors and check on them, particularly if they are alone.
Exercise. What? Yes, exercise. Put on a C.D. or a music video or Sirius music and dance around the house. Crazy? No. If you’ve been cooped up in your home, you’ve probably been just vegging, watching Netflix or Hulu or DVDs. Get up and move around. Trust me, it will lift your spirits.
Write in your journal or planner. This craziness is historic, people! Document it somewhere. Write down how all this makes you feel–anxious, panicked, angry, scared, so-so. Explore why you’re feeling that way, and what you can do about it. Finish some projects you’ve set aside–that short story, a knit sweater, an art project. If you have children, what can you teach them while they’re not able to go to school–how to cook something, or clean something, or do the laundry, etc. End your writing on a positive note. “I will survive!”
And yes, we will survive–as human beings, as a society, as a family, as friends. I’m sending prayers out every day for our country and for the world. A pandemic is frightening, but, again, WE WILL SURVIVE!
My thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of you today. Be well–mentally and physically. God be with us all.
Jill-Ayn
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