When The News Gets A Little Scary

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. You have this moment, right here.

That’s the only moment you’ve ever really had anyway.

No matter what tomorrow feels like or what unknowns, dangers, or changes possibly lie ahead, this has always been true.

I feel my heart rate accelerate as I sit and watch the news. It’s not something I enjoy doing too much right now. You might feel the same.

I treat it more like a reconnaissance mission. Get in, get what information you need, and get out. I also want to understand that so much that is happening right now is preemptive. On the offense. Defensively offensive and proactive. It’s being taken seriously so it can be taken care of well. Amazing health professionals are working diligently to understand, prevent, and provide treatment as necessary. Remember that.

And breathe.

Turn off the news. Try to turn it off in your head, too. Turn instead to your family, your children, your pile of unread books, an overlooked corner in your house, a forgotten part of your life. Take it in, dive in and soak up this moment right here. BE in your life right now. Breathe.

We are already mortal. We face unseen danger every day whether we know it or not. Our days are already numbered. We are mortal.

Don’t die a thousand scared deaths while you worry about what may come.

Try as best you can to love those around you. Everyone needs love and gentleness and encouragement. We have one another. We have a people and life we can love right in front of us.

Take care of the things you can control.

Wash your hands, wash your clothes, wash your phones and other surfaces.

Care for the health of yourself and your family. Feed and nourish yourselves well.

And that definitely includes your mind ❤️ Fill up on the good stuff. We all need it.

One of the most and best things you can do is to move your body. Sitting around and fretting is not only unproductive, it quite possibly the worst thing you can do for your health. Nothing makes you feel more anxious than inaction. Move your body. Take a walk. Get fresh air. And if you hate the idea of going to a gym right now, just remember that you can do a lot to move your body or break a sweat at home. (I’m a big fan of streaming videos or running back and forth in front of my house when I need to be home. I’ve logged a lot of miles that way over the years. Remind me to tell you about the time I ran 13!)

Moving your body is one of the best things you can do to reduce anxiety. This morning after turning off the news and writing my thoughts/feelings/ and decisions, I started out for my morning exercise. I started with a walk, and I thought that was what I was capable of this morning. It became a run and with each step I took, I could feel myself shed a little more anxiety.

Maybe it’s all that breathing that exercising makes you do. Or allows you to do. All I know is that it works amazing wonders for reducing stress and worry. And your heart rate after your done actually decreases. It’s a wonder drug. So please do that, on repeat.

Lastly, I wonder, am I the only one who wants to stockpile paper? And I don’t mean the bath times kind. I mean pads and pads of blank white pages, to fill up with stories and words and magic.

If there is either more time or less because of some crisis, I want to create till the words or the world runs out.

Ask yourself too, what can you create? What can you draw or paint or write. Can you make music or dance or bake? Maybe it’s with your kids or by yourself, but however you can, be creative. It’s one of your superpowers as a human. And it’s one of the most powerful and profound things that you can do for yourself, your family, and the world. To quote Jamie Lee Curtis in her amazing children’s books Is There Really A Human Race?, “Bring art to this space. And make the world more beautiful, for the whole human race.”

It’s not that we can’t do nothing. It’s choosing what to do. As my dad said yesterday, let go of what you can’t control. I agree. But by golly, I also believe you can put positive effort into what you can control. Like your own input and output.

And I believe so firmly that we all can use our influence wherever we are, to spread more love, thoughtfulness and intention. It’s a much preferred outcome than spreading fear and hoarding and scarcity.

So while it’s okay to dial some things in closer to home, don’t let your heart shrink in fear. Let it expand into your space, your home, yourself, your loved ones. Pray, move, breathe.

Release the negative. Breathe out the fear. Expand your lungs, increase your capacity for hope and take in love.

Breathe.