I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been processing what’s going on in the world – COVID-19 or Coronavirus has forced us all to make severe changes in our lives.
Before moving into Acceptance, I had to let myself feel. I had to feel all the feelings that I needed to feel to bring me to this point. You all know I’m a very positive person by nature, and to be honest, it took me some time to accept that the pain and suffering are part of a much larger purpose.
As an empath, I feel feelings deeply and feel so much pain for the world and the human race. Feeling pain for our country and all the countries affected by COVID-19 or Coronavirus. Some days were easier than others, and some days were just plain hard and very dark. (If you’re an empath too, here are some additional tips for self-care.)
Sometimes we have to walk through darkness to truly appreciate the light.
I’ve learned to allow the emotions to come in and not judge them. I’ve found peace, which I will share in a moment, but I still have moments where emotions will wash over me, and I surrender to this human experience; I’ll sometimes cry while doing something as simple as the dishes.
Lately, I’ve shifted.
I seemed to have gone through the five stages of grief in a non-linear fashion, of course, as we all know it happens that way: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.
It’s all part of the process.
This phase is the death of the ego and our ego-driven lives. It is also non-linear… just like our changes during the COVID-19 or Coronavirus pandemic.
Some days I feel myself shifting into one of those phases, which happens; listening to really loud music has helped me push through the Anger, Denial, Depression, and Bargaining phases… honestly, it helps with Acceptance too.
I’ve always been that way with music, and I also have found that writing helps. Painting, drawing, sidewalk chalk art, and messages for my neighbor’s kids or on the sidewalks for neighbors taking walks… there are so many ways to express the feelings and share hope.
I also spend a tremendous amount of time in nature; it’s soothing and healing all on its own. I’ll spend hours on my back porch listening to our gorgeous birds singing, watching them at our feeders, and listening to the wind in the trees – when was the last time you were able to do that on the reg?
I’ve discovered that to move forward, we need to go inward. This dark night of the soul could mean we are grieving, angry, and our desire to push against it creates negativity. COVID-19 or Coronavirus is forcing many changes.
I needed to move through the emotions to learn, let go and look towards how I can bring light to this experience.
Let go of the outer world and go inside and to surrender. Acceptance moves us past the grief, and we know that we will emerge in a new way. Like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly – we are in metamorphosis.
See, I have several theories as to why this is all happening to our species. Of course, only the Divine knows the exact reasons and plan, but these theories have aligned in my heart, and I know these are some of the reasons why.
One of the changes that COVID-19 or Coronavirus is that we are being forced to look at ourselves.
It’s like Mother Earth sent us all home to think about what we’ve done and here is what we are learning:
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- We have all been treating the planet so poorly, and she has been trying to tell us that we need to make changes. The uptick in superstorms, wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis… we still didn’t listen. The planet found a way to restore balance – as it always has and always will. It’s the cycle of nature and as painful as that cycle can be – we all know it’s for the greater good. All animals and plants are a part of each other, and we now have the time and space to realize that we CAN MAKE CHANGES to live more in balance with nature and within ourselves.
- We have been treating our own lives poorly. For instance, is commuting really the best way for us to spend our time? We all now have extra time with the family in our households, and those who are far away we are spending more time with on zoom, facetime, and other virtual “meeting” tools.
- We are getting back to what’s important—spending more time with family and we are now doing it in creative ways. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE spending time with my extended family on zoom! Every so often, we would Skype with my Grandparents before they passed, and I cherish every moment of seeing them interact. I’m sure you all are doing the same… every conversation and every laugh is such a gift.
- Deep gratitude for simple gifts we all took for granted – like hugs. I’m sure every single one of us now understands the importance of and gratitude for being able to hug the ones we love and care about. I would give anything to be able to hug my Mom and Sisters right now! And when I’m able to… I won’t let go for a long time.
- This is a mass evolution of our species. Nature is forcing us to evolve.
I could go on and on, but I’d like to share more on how I was able to reach Acceptance and fully live in gratitude during all of this.
We need to ask ourselves:
Are we ready to receive this as a gift? Not a disease?
This gift is giving us the time needed to stop and think about how we spend our time and how we should be living.
This is a mass evolution of our species.
In any given situation, whether trauma, moving past trauma, or literally anything else in our human experience, there are two paths in which we can take.
Path 1 is Fear, and Path 2 is Love.
At any crossroads, any decision, any reaction, any emotion we are feeling (we can’t control the first emotion, but we can control how we react) we are choosing either Fear or Love.
It’s ok to choose Fear sometimes! It’s a human emotion, and we must not judge, although we can teach ourselves to listen and learn to come more from Love.
I’ve learned to accept, live, and think about quarantine as an opportunity to reflect on our lives.
During the COVID-19 or Coronavirus changes, will I come from a place of Fear or a place of Love?
According to science and personal experience, it takes 40 days to process and to create new habits that enable us to realize a new reality. I think we all have this kind of time! 🙂
Interesting right? Here is where we get to help shape the history and evolution of our species!
If we take this time during COVID-19 or Coronavirus to create new habits (and we already have been either consciously or unconsciously) and change, then we are evolving ourselves and, in turn, evolving our species on a mass scale.
There are so many people all over the world in this movement! I feel honored to contribute!
Would you like to know how? I’m so glad you do!
A Quarantine Within…
We should all go inside ourselves just as nature is forcing us to go inward to balance mind, body, and spirit.
Every morning I wake up with a mediation on abundance, gratitude, or sending love to the world, then Yoga (or a few minutes of stretching the sleep out of my muscles). This routine literally can total 20 minutes – you definitely have 20 minutes in the morning these days, don’t you? (My favorite meditation app is Omvana as they have a fantastic library from which to choose. Click here to check it out.)
I try my best to eat healthy, fresh, and balanced meals, and I also acknowledge that I’m human, and I really enjoy chocolate and ice cream, so I indulge there sometimes. Hey, it’s all about balance, right?
There are no judgments in this new world.
Once I was able to get on rhythm in my physical body, I moved to the emotions.
Let’s think about how we process and handle new information and our new vs. old ways of living.
Are we aware of our emotions, and are we contributing and living the life we want to be living? What brings you joy… How can you create a life that centers around your joy? Take a tip from Marie Kondo and apply it to your life!
Keep asking: Are we coming from Fear, or are we coming from Love?
We must connect inward through meditation and prayer to hear our inner voice again. Now that we have time to slow down – we can hear it again! Do whatever speaks to you to connect with that inner voice – be it God, The Divine, Source, Spirit, or your own Higher Self as this will help us come from Love.
Then, I’ve been exercising my mind.
First, if I’m coming from Love, what thoughts and old tapes do I need to change about myself or my life? I’ve updated my affirmations, and my guided meditations help me build this muscle.
Second, what are our current concepts of success, ideas, and beliefs? Are they ours? Or are they passed down and just assumed? Are they the ideas that you want to continue to live by? Keep asking: What brings you joy? Then add it to your daily life! It’s that simple.
Third, what are my ideas and beliefs, and how am I of service during this time? What tools do we each have within that can enable us to be of service to others? We are all uniquely creative human beings capable of making a tremendous difference in our world and our communities. What can you do today that will help another person or other living being? I challenge you to think of at least one thing you can do each day, then build upon it and have fun with it!
This time and the process above lays out work that we can do to evolve ourselves:
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Physically
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Emotionally
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Spiritually
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Mentally
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Socially
During the COVID-19 or Coronavirus, I’ve made changes, made this shift, and so can you.
I’m not being oppressed to stay inside. This is the planet improving itself, and we must do the work, so when we go outside our homes, we can share our light with the world.
This is a new way of transcendence and transformation.
We have all the tools within. So let’s enjoy our project of humanity. Enjoy our lives in this world.
Everything happens for a higher purpose, and we are all going through this as a collective. We are not alone, and we will all be stronger for this.
As we all move through this journey into a more elevated way of being and living, we are part of the solution.
Take advantage of this time to awaken.
Choose to see the gift.
Choose to come from Love.
(For additional tips on Shelter-In-Place living click here.)
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