Are You Finding Calm?

There are lots of things you should be doing today. Your journaling. Your reading. Taking care of your work of your children or family. Following the instructions of the authorities (to stay inside, to eliminate unnecessary travel, to make sure you have food and supplies on hand). All this is good. Most of it takes work.

But the thing you should be working hardest at?

Being calm.

At steadying your nerves. At slowing down those racing thoughts. Because emotional and uncontrolled responses only ever make things worse.

Yes, there is a scary pandemic out there. Yes, there is real risk to life and limb (if not to you, then to the more vulnerable parts of the population, and certainly the economic instability that has already been triggered is no fun). But the only way we’ll get through this, the only way you can help yourself and others is by getting a handle on yourself. No one does well while panicking. In fact, that’s a great way to make things worse—to make mistakes or act rashly.