With the world’s most recent event(Covid19), the vast majority of us find ourselves wondering the halls of our house, watching how to cook videos, and endlessly cleaning every last inch of our home.
With time come thoughts, and with thoughts, stem two branches between the positives and negatives which can determine how our day really plays out.
In this unique time, those of you who were already struggling to avoid anxiety and avoid depression, this is another obstacle in the course. I know for me, having both of these things, I am constantly trying to distract myself away from focusing on negative things. And to those of you who have never had these feelings before, you might find yourself in a completely foreign land, trying to understand why you have these feelings, and how to deal with them.
Needless to say, we must find a way to keep ourselves distracted and amused.
What I have noticed myself doing a lot of the time is scrolling through every last social media platform hoping that it will satisfy my boredom and keep me occupied while my anxiety festers in the background.
That lasts about five minutes.
While we all sit in our homes and contemplate how we are going to go about our day, this is something I want you to remember, and it’s a beautiful quote that I will always remember from the movie, “Kung Fu Panda:”
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery, today is a gift, and that’s why they call it the present.”
Dealing with depression and anxiety right now is a vital part of how our time will play out in the weeks and months to come. This quote is a way for us all to remember that with each breathe we take, and with each moment we are given, we have the ability to determine how we react. If we all just take a moment, reflect at what we have been given, and maybe just reach out to family member, a friend, even a coworker, you won’t only change their day for the better, but you will also change your own.
When it comes to dealing with your depression and anxiety and other mental illnesses, you have to remember that you aren’t alone. This is vital! Just because you might be alone physically thanks to this stupid virus, that doesn’t mean that you have to feel alone mentally. The support network on social media, in your contact list, and on podcasts and in books are all ways that can really help you in this time of uncertainty. You have to take advantage of these things when other ways of coping are temporarily shut off.
Depression doesn’t fight fair, and I think with a lot of us who are left to contemplate it with the quarantine, it will want to take advantage of that.
Don’t let it! Utilize anything you can to turn your day around. We don’t have to fight fair either. We can beat this, anytime, anywhere.
Find your happiness. You deserve it.
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