Finding Light In The Darkness
Let’s admit it, things are really weird right now.
We’re all stuck in our homes trying to maintain good health while simultaneously trying not to go crazy. How are you holding up? My current situation consists of me working from home while watching my 6 month old son with the help of his dad and my family. Things are definitely outside of the ordinary for us, but we’re making it work.
During my first week quarantined, I found myself complaining a lot and focusing too much of my energy on negative things. I was driving myself crazy with conspiracy theories about the coronavirus, stressing myself out with all the “what ifs”, allowing my anxiety to get the best of me, and taking my loved ones for granted. I spent a whole week with this negative mindset, and it wasn’t until a conversation with my sister yesterday, that I realized there was some good in all of this bad.
It’s easy to find yourself in a downward spiral of negativity where all you do is point out everything going wrong, but it’s important to change your perspective and realize there are many things going right. This shift may initially require conscious effort, but eventually it will become your new norm. The moment a negative thought comes to mind, you must immediately combat it with something positive. Change the narrative you’re telling yourself and watch how things shift in your life.
After changing my mindset, I realized that being quarantined is a huge blessing. Seriously, how often do we get to rest? Being a mama never stops but somehow in this time of forced isolation, I’ve had the opportunity to slow down and find solace. I took 3 months off of work for maternity leave and have been working part-time since returning to work and it feels like I’ve been on go forever. Time is finally slowing down enough for me to gain control of my life again so I took some time to check in on myself. I did an inventory of my blessings resulting from the coronavirus and here is what I’ve come to realize this quarantine has offered me:
1. Time with my son. To me there is nothing more important than spending time with my son, especially during his first year of life. This quarantine has forced me to work from home and in turn I am enjoying the best of both worlds. I get to see my son more often while maintaining a corporate job.
2. Time to get back in the kitchen. Since giving birth, I’ve had difficulty finding time to do the things that I love, one of which being cooking. The slowness of the quarantine has allowed me to get back in the kitchen and slowly return to myself. I’ve been able to make healing foods which are especially important now during times when a strong immune system is essential.
3. Time to accomplish projects that I had put off. I finally organized and cleaned my room. I used sage to reset the energy and cleanse the space and I set a new intention to come of all my time spent in there. My room is a sanctuary for rest, love, and creativity and it finally reflects that.
4. Time to meditate and journal again. Gratitude journaling is something I’ve been practicing for 3 years now, but unfortunately, after having Kairo, it was hard for me to make time to do it. I finally feel like I’m caught up on sleep enough to spend 10 extra minutes before bed, thanking The Most High for the way my life is unfolding on a daily basis. I’ve also started inviting 5 minute meditations into my life during feeding sessions with my son. It’s not how I’ve historically meditated, but as my life evolves, my spiritual practices must adapt to meet my new norm.
5. Time to check in on family and friends. During this time I’ve made it a point to check in on my closest friends especially those who have been directly impacted by the virus. I realize that checking in on loved ones is something that should be done all the time, but in the past 6 months it has been hard for me to step outside of my own life circumstances long enough to have quality conversations with anyone about how things were going with them. I also am taking this time to appreciate my family more.
I understand that it is a privilege not to have to worry about finances, food, or shelter during a time like this and I also realize that there are some very negative impacts of the coronavirus and it would be naïve of me to say that this whole crisis is a blessing, but I am here to encourage you to look for the silver lining in all of this. The Chinese use the yin and yang symbol to represent the inherent balance of all things. Just as there is always a feminine and masculine energy at play, there is similarly always some good in the bad (and vise versa). You can’t be a Viktorious Mama if you can’t transmute negative situations into positive ones. What is your brightness during this dark time? How are you finding peace?
Remember to count your blessings mama. Sending my gratitude to and for you. Much peace, love, and health!
Resources:
Soup Recipe- https://foodheavenmadeeasy.com/potato-collard-green-soup/
Meditation Playlist- Energy Cleanse Playlist by Lalah Delia on Spotify
