I’ve been wondering for a while whether I should write a post about Covid-19 and worry. These are certainly anxiety provoking times.
I think partly I’ve been avoiding writing here about it because I feel anxious myself, so how can I address that for other people in this blog, when I haven’t fully worked it through yet myself.
I also feel as if everyone is talking about it and there’s a huge breadth of content out there already. I lost count of the number of emails I had in the first week or so of lockdown in the UK, from all of my very favourite mailing lists, addressing coronavirus from their perspective. All of them were helpful. All of them were thought provoking.
I’m incredibly grateful for the work of our NHS, and all of the essential workers who are venturing out every day to keep food on our plates and keep us safe and healthy. You are absolutely amazing.
To be honest, there’s a huge part of me who’s tired of thinking about it, tired of talking about it.
So rather than add to the noise with another perspective, with my tips for working through the worry and anxiety, I thought I’d pull together some of the thinking that I’ve found helpful over the last two weeks. Some of this you’ll be aware of, some may be new to you, but I hope at least that you’ll spot something that might help.
The Life Coach School Podcast - Handling Chaos and Moving Forwards
I’ve been listening to Brooke Castillo’s series of short podcast episodes, first around Handling Chaos and then Moving Forwards. Last week I started listening to one of these every day. Brooke’s perspective is grounded and sensible and I’ve found that when I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the anxiety of it all, her practical and down to earth approach was a real comfort. She helped me to keep things in perspective over those first few days of lockdown.
Susannah Conway’s Letters and Blog
I think Susannah’s letter was one of the first wholehearted letters to land in my inbox after lockdown and the first to share her perspective on getting through these days. Susannah talks about how she's limiting her news intake and making a list of her absolute must-dos to help keep calm during this time. Her updates are always kind and heartfelt.
Lucy Sheridan’s coaching all-dayer
Lucy ran a coaching all day-er on Facebook and Instagram Live a couple of week’s ago and I think she’s doing some more too. Lucy’s approach is like you’ve known her for ever and she’s so accepting of people just showing up as themselves - whatever that looks like for them. I love her optimism and friendly vibe.
Brene Brown’s Netflix Documentary
Have you watched this yet? I’d recommend Brene Brown’s Netflix documentary ‘The Call to Courage’ to everyone. Brene is a brilliant speaker and this documentary calls us all to step into the arena and be our best selves. Brene’s work is always inspirational, and I even caught my husband re-watching this recently to give himself a boost when things were getting on top of him. It really needs no further recommendation.
Marianne was the first person I came across in the UK who talked about changing our language around coronavirus. Quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing, they can all sound quite frightening especially to children. Marianne talked about ‘nesting’ instead of self-isolation and physical distancing instead of ‘social’. After all, are we not finding in many ways that we’re more connected to each other than we were before? We’re contacting our loved ones more often, connecting with strangers and clapping for our carers.
Those are just a few of the inspirational people that are helping me get by each day. I now only check the news once a day and usually do that via the Public Health England website. Instead I’m swapping news with positive, inspiring podcasts and documentaries. I’ve swapped Twitter (sorry Twitter) for Instagram (and only following people that make me feel good). I’ve slowed down, I’m trying to be realistic about what I can actually get done with the kids at home, and I’m trying to be kinder to myself about how I am feeling. It’s okay to feel anxious right now, it’s okay to cope with that anxiety in whatever way feels right for you. And it’s okay to ignore all those people telling you how to feel during this time.
As the brilliant Sarah Knight says, You do you.