As we go through the uncertainty of this period in our lives, it is important that we start thinking about our recovery. Experts know the recovery effort can be just as difficult as enduring the hardest part of any devastating event. It is not too early to start thinking about how you recover in body, mind and spirit from the effects of this contagion.
One of the best ways to do this is to put the fear of a pandemic aside for a while and take the opportunity to initiate spiritual preparations that complement the physical arrangements you are making.
This can seem impossible to do when every source around you is busy trying to scare you, but without some spiritual renewal, the other things you do may be meaningless in the long run. Your time in this voluntary confinement provides this golden opportunity, but you have to turn the TV off and stop focusing on the coronavirus for a while.
Thoughts to aid your self reflection
A good place to start is how you have focused your life. We spend our lives chasing after money, power, fame, status and power thinking this will make us happy. A few achieve a certain amount of these things and discover they didn’t make them happy at all. It took me a while to learn this about life, but now I understand the concept that lasting happiness comes from within. While material gains may give you a temporary high, they don’t make life better in the long run.
The ups and downs of life were meant to give us wisdom so we could evolve into our best selves. My life journey has helped me to understand and implement the following seven principles into my everyday activities. They have made a big difference.
1) Accept responsibility for how you react to everything that happens to you.
While no one can hold us responsible for actions others have perpetrated, we control what we chose to do with these experiences. We can decide to feel victimized and therefore attract more victimization or we can choose to grow stronger from them and find the strength to deal with whatever life throws at you. This may not be easy and require help, but it is worth the results.
2) Get comfortable with uncertainty.
If there is one thing we are learning from the coronavirus it is that nothing in life remains the same. If you think you can hang on to things like wealth, beauty, health, strength, relationships, status or fame to keep you happy, you are heading for great disappointment. Learn to relish the uncertainty in your life, it is a lesson to help you grow. Change your perspective about uncertainty and you will begin to see life as an ever-evolving experience that always leads to your greater good.
3) Stop being afraid to fail.
Fear of failure is a joy killer. If you live life avoiding the things that threaten your identity or status, the more you will stay frozen in an illusory life of predictability. Taking risks feeds our spirit. This is how we grow and learn. If as a baby you had stopped trying every time you fell down, you would never have learned to walk. Failure opens your eyes to other possibilities, to new information. Failing helps you let go of values and beliefs that may no longer be helping you. Take chances, try a new skill, take that new job, open yourself up to love. Jumping into the unknown is the spice of life.
4) Learn to say no.
It is perfectly fine to be selfish. There are times you simply don’t possess the energy to do for others. You are not obligated to live up to the expectations of those around you. Saying no is a way to care for yourself. When you don’t want to do something, be with someone, give to a cause or help someone with a difficult task, it is ok to say, “not now”. There is a voice guiding you from within for a reason, listen to that voice and follow it even when it goes against the wishes of others. Learning to say no helps you become a better you. The better you become the more you can be for others.
5) Stop postponing joy.
We are all going to die someday, that is certain. You might as well chase your dreams the moment you can begin to do so again. Take that trip, get that degree, ask that person you are attracted to out on a date, you don’t have the time to lose. Happiness is rooted in our ability to chase our passions. A Higher Consciousness created us with a unique meaning and purpose that are disclosed for us to pursue in our daily lives. Any day you postpone in pursuing your joy is a day you don’t get back.
6) Strive to be part of something bigger than you.
I am a believer in the concept of enlightened self-interest; work with others to create a greater community and you end up creating a better life for yourself. Working for a greater good inspires and motivates you in ways that your self-seeking can never reach. Working for something bigger enlivens you, fills you with optimism and keeps you going far longer than you ever imagined you could go. It also connects you to the world with great hope, enthusiasm and positive energy.
7) Be grateful for what you have.
Nothing fills your spirit more than being thankful for the things given to you. When you are grateful, you are pleased by what someone did for you, and you are so overjoyed with the results that your thanks bubble over. There is something in your life daily you can be grateful for; your health, the sunrise, your reliable dog, or the love of your partner. There are so many miracles in your life that are easy to acknowledge if you are open to looking for them. Even something that we take for granted, like the car started when we turned on the key, is something to be grateful for. Learn to be grateful for what you have, and you will attract more things to be grateful for.
This situation confronting our world today will be over. Life will remerge, but it will not be the same. Doing this self work will help you transform successfully from whatever comes from it.
Remember, paying gratitude for your life forward will reward you with joy and contentment.
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
