The world can seem like a scary place right now but we will get through this together
I have been amazed over the last month at how well people can work together when they have a common goal. Albertan's have come together over the past month and made significant sacrifices for the common good. We are making these sacrifices to protect ourselves and each other. Regular hand washing, staying home if you are sick and physical distancing will save lives. It is important to remember that we are all in this together and that we all need to support each other.
When your mind goes into catastrophic thinking mode then remind yourself of your current situation in that moment. Are you safe? Remind yourself that all the essential services are still functioning. You have power, water and heat in your home. There is lots of food on the grocery store shelves. The sun is still shining (at least most days). The bird are still singing. The world is still functioning and it is not going to end.
This is a time to connect with each other. Make sure that you are connecting with friends and family over the phone, Facetime, Skype, mail, etc. Play a game of Scattergories with another family over Skype! Have a dinner party with friends over Facetime! We are blessed that we have the technology to connect with other people during this challenging time.
Reach out to people that might need support. Go get groceries for someone who is self-isolating or has mobility issues. The City of Calgary has some excellent ideas on how to offer support on their website.
Another important thing to do is limit your consumption of the news. The news does not reflect the reality of the vast majority of people. Most people are staying a home and trying to find creative ways to deal with boredom. Limit your news consumption to one or two sources that you trust and make an effort to access it only once per day.
Here is some good advice for how to deal with self-isolation from Chris Hadfield:
Remember that we will get through this together.