Sunday Quotes: Control

Who doesn’t feel out of control these days! These are challenging times for everyone, but if you’re leaning toward being a bit of a control freak (like yours truly,) your anxiety levels can be off the charts right now.

To supplement Wayne Dyer’s wise words, I’d like to offer you two lists today: the things you can control around this COVID-19 pandemic, and the things you can’t. And I encourage you to work on letting go of what you can’t control (and I’ll offer some suggestions.)

What you can control

• Following the recommendations from credible authorities such as WHO and the CDC
• Practicing your own social distancing
• Washing your hands
• Limiting your news intake. This is so important! I saw a great analogy the other day: if the news would have constant coverage of every single time someone dies in a car accident, we would either feel constant anxiety about driving, or we would never get in a car again.
• Limiting time on social media if you find it does more to stress you out rather than make you feel connected.
• Finding fun and productive things to do at home.
• Your own attitude
• Your kindness toward others who are also anxious

What you cannot control

• The actions of others
• Whether others are practicing social distancing. I’ll admit, this is a tough one for me: it infuriates me that so many people are still not taking this seriously.
• How others react. This goes with the point above, but can also include dealing with others who are even more anxious than you are as well as the sometimes ridiculous advice offered on social media. I try to remind myself that we’re all afraid, and try not to judge others’ fear-based reactions.
• Predicting what will happen or how long this will last. This is probably the hardest one of them all for me. I’m on board with #stayhome, I’m generally a very positive person, but the thought of this going on for months and months is overwhelming. At the same time, it’s also a constant reminder that this is really no different than any other time: we can never predict what the future brings. This present moment is all we have!
• The amount of toilet paper in stores

Stay home, be safe and stay healthy – and don’t forget to look to your cats for the ultimate lesson in how to live in the moment.

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