How is it going for you? How are you handling all the changes around the COVID-19 pandemic? It has been stressing me out a bit. On Saturday, I was doing my normal errands to pick up stuff we needed in the house and when I got home, I was really feeling stressed. I am seeing more people with gloves and masks. I am seeing more signs about what you should be doing about the virus and if you are not feeling well to stay home. I am seeing guards in stores that never had guards before. At one store, the guard asked, as I walked in, if I had been traveling in the past 14 days. I am seeing lines and signs on the floor to show me where I am supposed to line up to help keep the social distance. At one place, their systems were down and I had to pay cash. Ugh! Handling money, which my wife has reminded me is one of the dirties surfaces we can come in contact with. I am thankful that the stores that I went to did not have many people in them and that people were keeping their distance from each other as much as possible. I am hoping that the social distancing is working and slowing the spread of the virus.
When I came home with all that stress, I am thankful that it was a nice day and I could get out for a walk in nature. I grabbed the dog and we went for a long walk on some trails in the neighborhood with some of my favorite songs playing on my Air Pods. It felt good to be out, relax, and work up a bit of a sweat. The dog was very excited and almost dragging me at the beginning of the walk and at my side at the end of the walk with her tongue hanging out. I felt a lot better and she went for a nap.
At 5 o’clock with drinks in hand, we set up a video call with my sister and brothers. We have a wonderful chat with the family and got to see all the nieces and nephews. We shared a lot of laughs and some thoughts about what they are seeing and doing in their communities. I think the only reason that we closed the call was that we were all getting hungry, except for my one brother who thought of bringing snacks to the call and for some reason he would not share them with us.
I hope that you are handling the stress and finding things for you to do to release that stress. I am doing a few things to help myself and others with the stress. First, Monday through Friday at 8:30 EDT, I am leading Morning Calm. Morning Calm is a 10–15 minute meditation to help you start your day. You do not have to listen live as the replay will be available as well. I will be posting links on social media at 8 am EDT, or you can head over to my Morning Calm page for more information. Second, I am a Transformational Coach and during this stressful time, I am waving all my coaching fees. If you would like to connect, please head over to Connect with Sean and send me your information so we can set up a time to connect.
Above all else, stay calm, stay safe, and stay healthy.