With all the tragic things happening around the world as a result of coronavirus, it might sound strange to talk about being positive and looking at the brighter side of it. But that’s all I can see that would bring calm in our lives at this moment. It’s much needed now more than ever. From my personal experience of being a stay at home mom, these are few things I have learnt during this whole on-going lockdown period.
- Fear isn’t Real
Our words have a lot of power. What we tell ourselves all day and even hear from around the world creates our reality. It’s ok to feel low but not stay in it long and brood over it. Yes there is going to be panic with the all the chaos that’s happening around the world but fear only reduces our ability to think. It’s proven that negative thinking affects our immunity levels which we need to reserve most at this moment. It’s ok to be aware of all that’s happening, take best precautions you can to be safe but don’t read into too much of everything that comes to you. Select what you want to know. Filter the information before it seeps your system deep down. Over information only ruins the situation at hand. It takes away the capability of handling your state of affairs. Staying positive doesn’t mean everything around you is going to be okay but it knowing you will be okay no matter how things turn out! So don’t fear and don’t spread fear around you.
2. You can’t Promise Future
It’s awesome to make plans and while you hope for them to come true, you must know life is too uncertain. We can only be hopeful about the days ahead but can’t promise anything. What happens in the next moment is never guaranteed. Don’t live like you are here forever. Don’t live life on an autopilot where you can’t even find joy in doing what you are right now. You never know what happens ahead, life can change in a jiffy. Like the saying goes, time to smell the roses, I totally believe in it. You never know when the roses will perish or if you get a chance to see them grow again. You rather stay in the present moment and cherish it totally. Sing, dance, breath while you are alive! Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. A lot of people who died due to the virus didn’t get their chance to say their goodbyes. And it’s just not one person but a whole lot of them. Who ever thought this could actually be the situation one day? Don’t wait for the future to happen, rather seize the moment and enjoy your present. Now so what if my hubby told me that our much planned holiday to an exclusive island this year is cropped off, I would compensate this by spending an extra week or two at my native. Ladies won't that give you equal happiness?
3. SSS- Make your Support System Stronger
At times like these, you do realize the importance of having your own kind around. This lockdown hasn’t been easy on anyone. The importance of having cordial relations with everyone in and around your home is now going to be more than visible. If we have taken time out in the past to strength our relations, it will be easy for us to be around them or else imagine being in the same house wherein you have strained relationships. It gets more than difficult to face each other and lie under the same roof without being available emotionally. Why wait for time to teach us these lessons the harder way or to sort your issues out with difficulty? Why not take charge now and make life easier by letting go and forgiving where needed. Don’t keep bad relations hanging anywhere. It extends to your neighbors too, what if you are not in a situation to handle things alone and you need their help or they need yours? We must realize we live in a community and living in harmony is the best way to be. So be pleasant and genial to everyone around you all the time. You don’t have to be at the best relations with them but you do your best to be kind.
4. It’s ok to Share Responsibility
As a stay at home mom, I believed it’s my job to look after everything that’s happening at the home front. With the entire family locked-down and no house help available, it surely did get tough to manage the whole lot. Initially I felt only I knew what needed attention and it had to be done my way. But I realized if I didn’t accept help around, I wouldn’t be able to survive this alone for too long. So what if the things are not being arranged the way I would want them, or one corner of my house didn’t shine to perfection. These things can wait. There are lots of other important things that need more notice now. I don’t have to be a super mom at this hour or prove myself to anyone. I have learnt to be calm and share my responsibility with ease and joy with all my family members, be it the male counterpart or even my kids. Even if I have to bribe my four year old with an extra cookie to do a particular job that he may have never done, its a win-win situation for both.
5. Be More Grateful
It’s not every day that we get this leisure time to stay at home and be around our loved ones without any plans in mind. There is actually so much we can do together than just binge watch shows or attend to every message on social media. Put on your creative hats and do something nice. Teach your child a new art or involve them in house work in different imaginative ways. This way they can limit the screen time too. Plug in your favorite music, it makes the chores easier to do I feel. You can get in touch a long lost friend by giving them surprise phone call or drop pleasant emails to people you feel need it most. It’s best time to take up online crash courses and learn something new or if you have the talent, then use this time to teach them. Think of everyone who could benefit from your act of generosity and thoughtfulness. Practicing random act of kindness and show more gratitude. It’s the hard times that actually open our eyes to things we weren’t paying attention to. Connect with more like-minded people who make you happy. It definitely heals your body, mind and spirit.