“Living Fully During These Dificult Times”

With the pandemic the unpredictability of our day to day lives,  make it difficult to think of living life fully. This becomes especially difficult when we are surrounded by outside messages that can easily paint a doomsbury picture. Understand that this is not the end of the world.  Things will get better, even better than they were before.  Until that happens, there are things you can do that can really improve your life.

In order to live life more fully there are various things you can do in order to achieve that goal.

A start can be by developing a sense of mindfulness.  Mindfulness, in this case, is being aware of what you’re feeling at any given time. There is a tendency for people to unknowingly lie about what’s going on within them.  Therefore, be aware of what you’re feeling and what your body is telling you. Being more aware of your body will open the door to what you need.  Does feeling tired mean you need  rest or to set aside meditation time?  Does feeling sluggish mean you need to eat healthy and exercise?

Do the best you can with what you have to work with. We all struggle with life’s servitudes. But that doesn’t define who we are and what we deserve.  Life is full of ups and downs. Being aware of how you feel can help you choose what response to make.

If you are feeling particularly anxious on any given day, it may be a good idea to be aware of being mesmerized by certain media outlets vying for viewership or certain political figures vying for your political support. Be careful not to be obsessed by the news.  As the weather improves, “social distancing” from news, social media that breathes a toxicity ,can be exchanged for time outdoors. If you want to get a non-biased view of the pandemic, I suggest you go to your computer and click on John Hopkins Resource Center or Bill Gates’  Pandemic 1.

You may know John Krasinski from the TV show “The Office” and as the character Jack Ryan, the CIA agent from the Amazon Prime’s political thriller, by the same name, John now hosts a YouTube feel good show entitled, somegoodnews.com. The show is a weekly assortment of inspiring events perpetrated by everyday people.

The current quarantine can fuel a sense of Isolation and loneliness.  This, in turn, can adversely affect your physical and mental health. Make a concerted effort to reach out, by FaceTime or phone calls. Also, reaching out to friends and family through Zoom,Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts can be vehicles to counteract the social isolation.

Reaching out can also mean thinking about the world outside ourselves and of those people most in need. Helping others not only benefits them but ourselves as well. This can take the form of contributing to the local food bank, organizing a neighborhood food drive or identifying one needy family and addressing their unique needs.

You may find addressing the needs of others in need is easier than addressing your own needs. What healthy choices can you make for yourself during these difficult times? This goes beyond eating right, sleeping well, managing your stress and emotions. It’s really important to begin to think about what will make you happy during this shut in period. It may mean learning to play a musical instrument or a new language.  It may also mean writing a book, learning to paint or sketch, cooking new foods. The new things you can learn that will make you happy and give you something to look forward to each day are only limited by your imagination and your willingness to try something new that is just for yourself.

Smiling, gratitude, and kindness goes a long way and can do wonders for your immune system. You may want to download an audio book and take a drive to a park and pack a lunch. The pandemic can be used as an opportunity to take a gentle pause, be kind to yourself and reset to a mindful way of life.

Readers are invited to comment, share thoughts, ideas or suggestions about this blog or any other previous blogs. Readers can e-mailing me at lifesourcecenter@aol.com or mailing me at lifesourcecenter, 710 Main Street, Plantsville Connecticut, 06479.