Coping in the Time
of Coronavirus
What a year. Whether you read this at the end of 2020 or the
beginning of 2021, or ten years from now, 2020 will probably
go down in the top ten of the worst years ever.
We know the basic drill: wash your hands, keep your distance,
wear your mask. We all know that, but until vaccines are available
to all, we cannot afford to give up the fight.
First things first. As flight attendants say in their airplane speech,
“Put on your own mask first.”
OK, the mask is on. What else can we do?
1. Start planning for next year’s Thanksgiving, seasonal
religious holidays, and New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Make your plans big and bold.
2. Don’t trust everything you hear; consider the source. The
Center for Disease Control (cdc.gov) and the World Health
Organization (covid19.who.int) are two reliable sources.
3. If you find that you are becoming obsessive about checking
the numbers of cases and deaths many times each day, that
will not help your anxiety ... move on to the next point.
4. Designate someone you trust to keep you up-to-date on any
news (good or bad) that is worth sharing. “Oh, it’s about the
same as yesterday,” is a good enough answer.
5. When you are driving, switch from listening to the news to
a music station or check out audible.com. Catch up on some
great books.
6. Do something outside. Getting outside your head and
physically outside your indoor, may be the reset you need.
7. If you’re stuck at home, keep to a schedule. Make a plan for
yourself and your kids to get your work done and feel a bit
more normal. Wearing pajamas all day is OK if you’re sick;
not so much if it becomes your new dress code.
8. Build in time to do something enjoyable: read a book; watch
a movie; teach your dog some manners or a new trick; work
on a jigsaw puzzle; bake an un-birthday cake; whatever puts
your brain to the task at hand.
9. Take up meditation (there’s plenty of free guided relaxation
sessions online). It’s a lot better, cheaper, and safer than
self-medicating.
Helping Others to Help Yourself
We are all so isolated right now; although, if you are the parents
of young children, you probably crave some more alone time.
Others, however, are desperate for human connection Acts of
kindness are much appreciated:
1. Kids can make happiness cards for neighbors and people
who seem cut off from society. How wonderful to receive a
real, unexpected card in your mailbox?
2. Offer to grocery shop for someone who is at greater risk.
3. Make a batch (or two) of homemade cookies. Share!
4. Donate blood if you are able. With the growing numbers of
hospitalization, we’ve got to be mindful of others who are in
desperate need.
5. Remember to thank the people we often take for granted
(such as, cashiers at the grocery store, the people who deliver
our mail) but on whom we rely as “essential” workers—
because they really are essential.
Always put safety first, but doing what you can do to bring
joy to others will come back to you in ways that you cannot
even imagine.
There’s a poem, “Footsteps in the Sand” (Singer Leona Lewis
interpreted that poem of the same title.) In the poem, the author
(unknown) talks about daily walks on the beach, during which
he always sees two sets of footsteps: his and another’s (presumably
those of a higher power). The author laments that during
his darkest hours, he felt abandoned because he could only see
one set of footprints instead of two. The author then learns that
he was not foresaken; he was carried—hence, only one set of
footprints. Regardless of race, political party, or religious affiliation,
this is the time that we (humans not God) must find the
strength and courage to carry each other.
Peace to all,
Joyce St. Giermaine, Editor
References Leona Lewis www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBLkbBEfjcc), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footprints_(poem)
4 TOMORROW'S CHILD © JANUARY 2021 WWW.MONTESSORI.ORG
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