Today the world is feeling a bit unsettled, what will happen tomorrow? What will my health be tomorrow, what will my financial health look like tomorrow, what will my employment look like tomorrow, everything is changing and we feel afraid.
I have been here before. My history in dealing with a past abusive relationship has prepared me for times of uncertainty. There was a time where I was in hiding and uncertain if I would make it through the night, much less for two weeks or months.
How can you fathom to find joy in a time of not knowing what will happen in the next days, weeks, hours. My faith is what sustained me.
Here a some steps I take when things get out of control.
First and foremost, understand we are never truly in control. The fact we think we are ever in control is actually laughable, but here’s the thing I have discovered; When things are familiar, we feel like we have some degree of control. Realizing that is simply not true is the first step to gaining control.
Second turn to what we can control. You may be asking yourself , what in the world is this person talking about, I have no control over the CDC or what our local government and country determines to do. That is actually the point, you nor I can control how this is handled, but what we do have control over is our mind. You have the ability to take captive every thought. If you read the Bible it will tell you that, ( 2 Corinthians 10:5) it is one of my very favorite verses. How do you do this? I read the Bible, pray, journal, talk with other people of like minded people.
Third, Do things that you can control. Things that helped me in times of uncertainty was to control the small things that launched me forward that I could do. You may ask what that looks like. Well right now that may look like writing an old friend or family member you have not taken time to connect with or need to settle some old grievances with. If you have time and are on lockdown there is no better time than now to start organizing parts of your life that are out of line with what you really want your life to look like. You can start small, like the closet you have been throwing your linens in with absolutely no sense of direction and organize that. Put the twin size sheets together, then the queen, king etc. Once you have conquered that linen closet, start with something bigger and more significant like a home project or write a family member/friend you have been meaning to either connect or clear the air. Taking control of things you can gives us such a sense of accomplishment that it starts a chain reaction, you can then move on to something bigger and bigger.
Lastly realize life may not return to exactly what it was before. This could be a good reality or a really difficult one. For me in past, it has been both. The key to maintaining joy is to create new joy in the things that are not familiar. An example for our current state of affairs would be enjoy the time you have at home, reading, writing, playing games with your children. Involve the whole family in the steps above, make it a family project if you have others in your household you are caring for. Everyone, at every stage in life has things they need to take steps in changing or conquering. Now could be the perfect time to lay the foundation for a new and brighter future for you and your family and friends.
If I have learned anything in life it is that this life, no matter what it looks like at this particular juncture, is a gift. All of it! The good and the seemingly bad are here to teach us something, our job is to realize what the lesson is at each stage in our life and move through it with fluidity.
holistichealthcoachingbyjamie.com Jamie Palmisano