The past week has been such an emotional rollercoaster for me, I’m sure it has been for you too with all the new daily changes that have taken place to protect us, to help reduce the spread of this coronavirus, to keep us human beings alive as much as possible…

I have noticed over the past week that all over the world, people are giving so much of themselves and their services for free, and offering so much kindness which is incredible – we all need this too to help us process it all. The act of giving can help to lift the heavy burden of all that darkness weighing down on us all, it gives our minds something positive to focus on, making us feel like we have a sense of purpose and helps us to feel more in control, so more than ever, there is a bigger sense of community and feeling of connectedness out there now in the online and real world despite the social distancing.

So many new Facebook groups and online classes have been set up to help bring us together in fighting this pandemic with positivity and using everyone’s different skills to help people get through it all and come out the other side feeling in a more positive state.

It’s only when you are stripped bare of everything you have built your life upon and see yourself to be, that you might somehow find yourself immersing yourself in dark thoughts for longer than you might like, into a shadow of your former self. It is so easy to get overwhelmed by all this information and the prospect of having to communicate and connect with people in the outside world mainly via the internet, and if you have primary aged children, the sheer lack of alone time. Which is why whenever you can during the day, in your own time (or do it with your children if possible), you have to prioritise what is most important to you and your family and make a routine of it – make the routine work for you too. This is still in working progress at my end, but at least there is progress to be grateful for despite the struggle…

During the events of the past few weeks but especially this past week, I lost connection to the joy within myself that I was accustomed to giving myself, that I was in a routine of giving myself every day, to then find I had to give virtually all of it up due to social distancing and being bound to our homes with the kids with very little breathing space to be able to navigate my way positively through my next best steps and plan of action during this difficult period to maintain my health and wellbeing.

I love my alone time. I really need my alone time for optimum wellbeing and happiness. Without time to process what was happening in my mind, I launched into home schooling my three kids, feeling completely overwhelmed with all the technology and online services that suddenly became available within a short space of time. Due to social distancing, people had to suddenly make the change to work from home or close their businesses down, and the only way to retain their sanity was to develop an online version of whatever they were offering before, to maintain that connection with their clients, to retain their life’s purpose, and to keep their passion and drive intact for after all this coronavirus is all over and we can get back to a new “normal”…

However, I lost communication with the signals my body was trying to communicate in all of the chaos trying to fumble my way through preschooling my kids, and keeping them fed and entertained all day long which seems like an eternity when I don’t have to drive them anywhere, making the day seem so long. I also haven’t been feeling well on and off over the past week as all the stress and anxiety has taken over my body and made me feel very low in energy. I have also experienced more aches and pains in my body too, which is how my body responds to stressful situations. It is getting a little bit easier and more manageable over time, but still, it’s all very exhausting.

With all the overwhelm and crowding of my personal space, I have been feeling really out of balance, I managed to lose my own sense of purpose and direction in the world as we are now… My body just hasn’t been able to easily cope with this level of stress in my life, in the outside world, with the kids, and all the zillion things I have to do now around the home.

I’m not adapting well to this new change, this new chaotic environment, this new way of living that I have to get used to for the next few months… But somehow, I am learning to find my way again from scratch to work out how I can feel less isolated, less anxiety, less stress, and get back my sense of purpose in this new environment called home I find myself having to use as a base. At the same time, I am looking into ways of increasing the peace, calm and joy in my life wherever possible. This is our new reality for the time being and we have to somehow accept and embrace it.

Who are you? What do you choose to see yourself as? How can you show up as that person?

Think of all the things you love about yourself, and make little actions for yourself to show up as that person you love, and make it part of your daily routine, even around the chaos and noise of everyday life. Make that space for yourself. Make moments of calm, peace and joy in your day – take charge of your wellbeing.

It’s important not to remain in a negative state for too long though we must acknowledge how we are feeling in the moment and always do what we can to get our energy up and feeling in a happier state. It’s so important. Stress can really take a toll on your wellbeing as I have experienced first hand. Stress doesn’t make me feel good, and when I don’t feel good, I’m not my best version of myself. I radiate negativity and stress, and lose that balance, that calm, that joy within me that I was connected with before. Without peace, love and joy, I feel foggy headed, without motivation and direction, full of overwhelm, and my natural reaction is to zone out, but this doesn’t make me feel good either.

It’s a big thing for me (and the rest of the world) that we are socially distancing ourselves from the very people that we are used to connecting with and share common interests with, as this is a key way in which we can uplift ourselves, by surrounding ourselves with like-minded people. It’s not the same without human contact and all this communicating online and via messaging.

It just all feels too much sometimes. But I do have to find a way to snap out of it. I have to make that choice again to show up as me, the positive, calm, inspiring, determined, fearless, musical, loving, joyful person that I am (well most of the time at least). I have a responsibility to spread light and love, and if I don’t connect with myself in this way, I can’t extend it out to the world around me. It just feels too hard, like doing the impossible. Change has to happen within me first to be able to inspire and positively impact the world around me.

Find your inner strength and calm, find a way to treat your feelings with love, treat yourself with the love and respect you deserve, honour you and your feelings. Love, joy and gratitude are three of the most powerful emotions, and it’s important to be make sure you are including as much of it as possible into your daily routine.

Joy has been missing big time for me recently.

Parents also need some joy during their day too, it’s very easy to neglect ourselves at this time as our days are completely consumed by our children. Which is why you must sneak time in for yourselves, and more importantly, make offline time in your diaries too every day to give yourselves a break from the screen, otherwise we are all going to feel frazzled by this way of communicating!!! Don’t forget the plain old fashioned telephone call you could always make to a friend or family, especially now you may have more time at home to make those calls.

We all need to stay healthy in our mind and body even though times are hard – don’t let this be your excuse to not look after yourself as it’ll keep you from the happiness you deserve and need to be feeling right now.

It’s all a worthwhile cause. The light feels so much better, I feel happier in the light. It’s important to hold onto that feeling and remember it always, and as something you look forward to having again. You don’t want to lose focus on the light, so it’s important to find your strength through positive thinking and regular actions to help you live in the happiest way you can and keep your mind healthy, active and feeling inspired.

We have to learn to live with certainty, with peace, love and joy too, as best as we can. Take control of the things you can control instead of worrying about what you can’t control. (I know I am guilty of this too). Even though it feels like everything is spiralling out of control, we mustn’t neglect ourselves at this time, we must keep our spirits alive. This is something we can all take control of and must nurture everyday. I must start taking my own advice again, and reconnect with my better self who knows what makes me feel good and nurture it everyday, and find a way around this social distancing to help me connect with what I love to do to lift my spirits. This is a habit we must adopt in difficult times like this to keep our strength up.

We don’t have control over everything, so forgive yourself for having these fearful feelings but make that choice to return to love. We have to find our light within as this will help you to feel good, to push the darkness out that bit further to allow you to live in the light, or at least to see the light shining to begin with, to help you become engaged in the world around you, even if it is just about appreciating the little pleasures at first.

What is your intention in this world to be? Where does your true purpose lie? How can you still live your purpose during challenging times? How can you take a step further into the light?

The light within each and everyone of us is so incredibly important, never neglect your light in favour of negativity. It doesn’t do anyone any good. Our inner light is what gives us the strength and the motivation to allow us to live our best life to fuel our energy, our joy, our desires, our kindness to ourselves and to others, to be able to feel and experience the blessings that exist all around us. Allow and accept the love within you, have faith, believe in it and it’ll become a part of you and will enable you to light up your world.

It is a lot for us all to take in. Take it step by step. Acknowledge your feelings, connect with your emotions and proactively take action to make yourselves feel better, little actions, baby steps even, helping you to make your way out of the darkness and into the light. The light feels so much better, I feel happier in the light. It’s important to hold onto that feeling and remember it always, and as something you look forward to having again. You don’t want to lose focus on the light, so it’s important to find your strength through positive thinking and regular actions to help you live in the happiest way you can and keep your mind healthy, active and feeling inspired.

Remember your light within, make a conscious effort to shine your light every single day even when you don’t feel like it – make your mental health a daily priority. Never has it been a more important time to shine our light, and to take action to empower ourselves within for all our sakes, for the sake of humanity.

At a time of great uncertainty around the world, we can get so overwhelmed with the negativity in the news that really has just taken over our lives…. But somehow, we have to take back control and find that happy and calm feeling within us in our everyday lives, otherwise we will go stir crazy!!!

We have to take charge of what we can control, and work with what we have in our lives and can be grateful for, and be proactive in taking those little steps during our day to live our lives and do what makes us feel happy, calm, safe and supported…

Aside from all the practical everyday stuff you may need to be stocking up on in case of emergency, the constant handwashing, making improvements in your everyday hygiene and the general cleanliness around you, the worry is real. In acknowledging this, we really have to make the time for self-care (it is more important than ever now). Do what you need to do, be prepared, but also it’s also important to find that time to be silent and calm, and more than ever now, invest in some extra joy, sing, dance, draw, paint, listen to music or a comedy sketch, get inspired… Do whatever it is that lights you up, but make that choice to redirect your focus and some time away from all the fear and worry.

Here are some key ways that I would like to share that I hope can help you get through this worldly storm:

Focus on what is thriving in your lives. We must continue to stimulate our minds with love, laughter, inspiration and joy, otherwise what’s the point… Life will just get too depressing and our minds can get really foggy and stuck in negativity which makes it so hard to see the light and beauty that is still out there in this world to see. The beauty and importance of the simple things in your life already that you may have taken for granted. Family. Love. Food. Friends. Community. Transport. Heating. Water. Electricity. And so on. Make the most of every little bit of it whilst you have it day by day. Tomorrow is not a given. Make the most of each day whilst you are alive. Being alive is a miracle, a blessing – make it all count!

Take care of your mental health. Don’t forget to love yourselves, be kind to yourself, do what makes you feel good – as well as making you feel better in yourself, this will help you to be able to spread more light to others around you to help build a sense of community during these difficult times. Which helps us get through it all.

Be kind. Giving to others always makes me feel good, it’s a great distraction too, so why not do the same? As human beings, during these times, it all comes down to showing compassion towards each other – only through kindness and love can we help people get a better glimpse of the light. It also really helps you to get back on track towards a more positive path towards the happiness and calm you may want to be feeling right now.

Invest in like-minded communities, both online or offline, around you who can be a great support to you when times are hard and we feel alone in the struggle. There is some kind of comfort in knowing other people all around the world are feeling the same vulnerability, it’s a very surreal feeling. So more than ever, we are not alone as it is affecting the whole world around us, which is even more reason to unite together and create some extra love, light and miracles together, and know we are all supported at the same time.

Take care of your physical well-being. Get some fresh air and make the most of the dry moments and sunshine. Drink lots of water (or herbal teas if you like your drinks warm, especially in the winter months). Make sure you are eating lots of healthy fruit and vegetables, and include a regular amount of protein in your diet too to give you energy. Do some exercise everyday even if for 10 minutes. Move your body, dance, do some strengthening exercises, go for a walk… what does your body need? Increasing your energy levels will help you to feel better in yourself, get your adrenaline going and give your mind aswell as your body a boost of fresh air and help clear the fog that might be dragging you down.

If you have been procrastinating about doing something that could improve your health and happiness, now is the time to do it! Now is the time to take care of our bodies and immune systems as best as you can.

Find little moments during the day you can be grateful for, and savour those moments, give life to those little things. This is what matters most in life and can really uplift your mind and help you to go about your lives more positively and help you to feel happier, more fulfilled and keep you calm.