I have a peaceful easy feeling. No, I am not talking about the Eagles’ hit song. Instead, I am overcome with a peacefulness, one I didn’t think was possible because of this dreadful pandemic.
If you haven’t guessed it, my word of the week is peaceful. This link-up is hosted by Raisie Bay. See the link below to read her submission and more!
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Falling Down a Rabbit Hole
Being informed is important, but it isn’t worth a trip down Anxiety Avenue! And that is where I ended up last week. Each news report left me feeling anxious and depressed.
Not tuning into the latest news wasn’t an option. With the rules of the game-changing daily, it was important to keep up. Failure to do so in my county and state could result in a fine or arrest.
This required addressing the following:
- How much news to watch or read
- Which format to get the news from
- How I reacted to the news
It was time to exit Anxiety Avenue and turn onto Peaceful Street #mentalhealth #covid19 #WotW
Reaching a Peaceful Easy Feeling
The first thing I did was limit how much news I was reading and watching. No more leaving news stations on all day or reading every article that appeared on my social media feed.
My next step was to chose which formats had the least destructive impact on my mental health. What appears to be working best for me is to watch only one live update a day. This means one day I watch the president, the next the governor of California, then the mayor of Los Angeles. While I am interested in what each has to say, I cannot listen to all three men on the same day. To make sure I catch the highlights of the ones I didn’t watch, I skim through the articles on a few news sites each evening.
Last but not least, I had to address my reaction to the news. Living in fear and anxiously obsessing about what tomorrow and the next day, week, or month held did no good. Choosing not to allow terror and worry to control my mind is not to be confused with ignoring or denying what is happening. It doesn’t mean that I have stuck my head in the ground and am clueless. Instead, I have chosen to arm myself with facts to give myself power over fear-mongering. It also means accepting that I cannot live in fear of what may happen and must live for today.
Final Thoughts
I am following all of my city, county, state, and country’s rules for the pandemic by:
- Staying home
- Only leaving for groceries and medical needs
- Practicing social distancing
- Wearing a face covering when I leave home
Accepting that I am unable to control the actions of other people contributes to my peaceful easy feeling. Doing my part and encouraging others to do the same is the best that I can do.
Like my abdominal flares where adhesions strangle, pull, tug at and rip away from my internal organs, this pandemic will eventually end. Whether I am still standing when either one ends is anyone’s guess. Which is why having peace for today is so important. I can’t live my best with the restrictions my body and life throws at me if I am living in fear.
What are you doing to protect your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic?
See what others chose for their word of the week!
I have reached the point too where I have to limit my news-watching just for my peace of mind. I want to be informed but watching the news too much makes me anxious. I think we are all getting to the same point! Hope your Easter weekend was a good one.
It sure was different, but I am thankful that even if we can’t all be together, my family is healthy. I hope your Easter weekend was a good one too.
I am even at the point of where I stopped listening to the daily updates we have in the UK, I can only do what I can for my friends and family, I can’t control what is happening out there and therefore I would rather no keep having it thrust at me. I also limit Facebook as that seems to be the place where the triggering happens, stay safe Cynthia x
I hear ya! You stay safe too! We’ll get through this. Hugs!!
I think I’m about a week ahead of you. I started off the same, who wouldn’t feel panic when you hear the stories. Then I entered the peaceful zone, reading and listening to only what I needed to and practicing peaceful activities in between, creating a more calm stance to it all. I’m afraid I’m feeling angry now, angry that more wasn’t done sooner, angry at all the lives that have been lost and the emerging facts that some could have been prevented. It really is like the stages of grief. I will find my peace again, and I hope you manage to stay safe x
Hugs!! You’ll find peace again. We just need to get through each stage of emotions the best that we can.