I bet you're going through some world class shit right about now. I feel you. I believe we all are to some degree.
A lot of us are running on fear (and stress) because this is probably the first time you've been through a pandemic and you (and by the looks most politicians) don't know what the hell to do about it.
Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash
It's ok to not be ok.
To want to distract yourself from what you're experiencing right now is also ok.
It's hard to know what to do when everything feels like it's going (or gone) to shit but I can tell you from past personal experience of not knowing how to deal with big feelings and having a kaleidoscope of addictions to try and manage said feelings and then coming out the other end of it all raw and even more frightened of the world.... it's the little things that really make a difference in "big deal" times.
My example - I have recently found the Brene Brown's podcast, Unlocking Us and I put it on on my long drives when I'm feeling a little out of sorts or anxious. Her voice and use of the very Texan contraction "y'all" soothes me. She speaks on the topics that really help in hard times and she knows her stuff. She is also real.
Me finding this podcast was kind of a fluke. I mean, I know of Brene and have for a very long time but I didn't think to look at her podcast. I didn't think it would be 'my thing'. So what I'm suggesting is - try things out that you may not think you'd be into. You may surprise yourself and bonus, get some chill out of it at the same time. Following those "little niggles" of curiosity that may be leading you somewhere unexpected. You can find gold doing that.
Also, as the title of this blog post suggests, be kind and loving towards yourself at this time. You may not be receiving it from many places right now (everyone is going through big things and may not know how to give to themselves as well as others at the same time) and so receiving this much necessary emotion from yourself is imperative.
How?
- Tell yourself you love yourself (if this is hard for you - keep saying it over and over until eventually you start to mean it. It may take a long time but it works eventually - I know. It took me what seemed like a very LONG time)
- put up boundaries between you and people that make you feel like shit (doesn't matter if it's your mother - ANYONE)
- find people that lift you up and leave you feeling light, joyful and high on life
- get intimate with yourself and take your time about it (buy yourself dinner first and make sure you don't forget the foreplay)
- NATURE (the frequencies you receive in nature are incredibly grounding, calming and health restoring)
- put on some headphones and listen to soothing nature sounds or healing frequencies (https://listeningtosmile1.bandcamp.com/ use code ruth20 for $10 off albums)
And even if you are getting lots of love from friends and family, you still have every reason to love yourself big time. Why? Because you're human and you're alive. Do you really need another reason?
Also, if you're feeling overwhelmed about what you can do to help others, don't think that just because you're one person you can't make a difference. Loving yourself is the biggest thing you could possibly do for humanity right now. You love yourself, it allows you to show more empathy towards others, they then show more empathy to those around them and so forth. Hey presto! More love in the world. A beautiful knock on effect. Know that the more love you give yourself and to those around you, the more you create for yourself! Win win win win WIN!
Sending you so much fucking love right now, you amazing being! X