I’m not at all afraid of the COVID-19 virus. I’m healthy, I live far away from people and as an introvert, I am happy being reclusive. In my perspective, the virus that is a greater problem in our world is the Fear Virus. It spreads so much more quickly. It’s already worldwise and exceptionally contagious, and it destroys lives in ways that are so much worse than the COVID-19 virus.
I don’t know about you, but my life experiences have led me to be highly susceptible to catching fear from others. Some would call it PTSD, but all I know is that once fear hits me, it TAKES OVER. In fact, once I’ve got that Fear Virus in my system, I have to focus all of my energy on bringing myself back to well-being and whole-being. I’ve gotten better at it with age, so I wanted to share what I’ve used against the Fear Virus with you in hopes that you, too, can overcome it. So here are some things to consider regarding the Fear Virus.
Symptoms Of the Fear Virus
Symptoms of the Fear Virus include anxiety, dread, despair, depression, as well as feeling powerless, hopeless and helpless. Other symptoms include the desire to distract yourself from your everyday life with unhealthy substances, with medications, or with activities such as gaming or shopping. You may be addicted to what the Fear Virus triggers in you, so you may find yourself glued to the TV or other sources of media that exacerbate trauma-drama in your life.
You may find yourself wanting to sleep more in order to avoid being in the discomfort of fear. Sleep and rest is important, however, if it is in service to avoiding and ignoring yourself, it becomes another element of the Fear Virus.
Life feels unmanageable if you are infected with the Fear Virus. Sometimes the symptoms get so scary that it’s not uncommon for people to want to just give up and die. I’ve been in this place many, many times. And I’ve survived, and to a larger degree I thrive, regardless of the presence of this Fear Virus.
What To Do If You’ve Got the Fear Virus
Drink plenty of water.
Go outside if you can and immerse yourself in nature.
Read religious or spiritual material that is uplifting and inspires you to reach for the next best feeling possible.
Run, jump, exercise. Do activities that allow you to release any pent up energy. Activity also increases endorphins which brings calm to our bodies.
Do something life-giving. Pet an animal, water a plant, smile to people or to yourself.
This may be the time to create a meditation practice. A meditation practice is any form of focused attention on something other than the thoughts and feelings that have infected you. This can include focusing on love and light, imagining life without fear, or remembering a time when you experienced innocence, freedom, and the joy of being you.
Use writing, drawing, painting, movement, toning, music, or any other form of creative expression to express what is inside. You aren’t looking for pretty or perfect here; you are looking for a way to release and purge the energy that needs to get out. This would be similar to having to vomit or poop out stuff that isn’t making you feel your best. But this is more fun.
Be with yourself! As much as we want to distract ourselves from the terrible, horrible, no good stuff that we think may be happening in the world, we have an opportunity to be compassionate with what we are having to be right now. Loving-kindness goes a long way in healing from the Fear Virus.
Laugh, play, and enjoy the company of people who are not infected with the Fear Virus. I find children and pets to be really good companions when I’m stricken with the Fear Virus.
I find that work helps me feel productive. When I’m coaching, writing, or creating, I experience a sense of purpose and meaning that I’m contributing to something greater than myself. And, at the same time, I have to balance work with play, rest, and meditation. The practice of balance really kicks fear in the butt!!!
Watch movies that are uplifting and make you laugh. And watch movies that make you cry “ these are good to help get the feelings out when it’s just too scary to be with them any other way.
Get support. Reach out to people who can hold you and support you through this Fear Virus. Coaches, therapists, ministers and spiritual guides, AA, and other fellowships “ these all have the capacity to empower you to heal yourself from this Fear Virus. And, fortunately, we have the technology to meet with others online through Zoom, Facetime, Skype and a myriad of other virtual formats, so there’s no fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus on top of the Fear Virus.
Natural remedies also help boost our ability to be immune to the Fear Virus. Among other vitamins and supplements, I use ASEA Redox Molecules. Personally, I find it highly effective to boost my immune system against all viruses and bacteria, and it also supports my mental and emotional functioning so that I can minimize the degree to which I internalize fear and anxiety.
Pay attention to your eating habits. Foods such as sugar may reduce one’s immunity to fear. Notice which foods might even trigger fear in you.
Gratitude is a huge booster to our immunity to fear and other challenging emotions. Sometimes it takes focused attention to come up with things to be grateful for. I started with being grateful for my teeth. Then I was able to be grateful for my fingers and toes, for my ability to laugh and make other people happy to be themselves. The list of gratitudes can be endless, and that’s a very good thing. When there isn’t anything else to do, list all the things, people, and experiences you are grateful for.
It’s easy to re-infect yourself with the Fear Virus by allowing fear-based thoughts to hang around. The collective field of the energy of the planet is especially fearful right now, which only means that it’s easier than ever for the Fear Virus to enter your space “ and you might not even know it. Shield yourself by creating positive affirmations, putting up images that bring love and light into your space, and playing music that is calming and peaceful. All of these can assist you in not re-infecting yourself.
How To Avoid Further Exposure to the Fear Virus
Stay far away from environments where the news has been on, or any electronics have been tuned into pandemic information. For some of us who are highly sensitive people, we can feel the fear when in the same vicinity as fear. Bring calming and soothing elements to your environment. I have a koi pond that brings me back to myself as soon as I peer in and see the beautiful beings swimming about.
If you are going to be on social media, YouTube, or other sites where you have potential exposure to fear, be very particular. You get to decide what media you expose yourself to. Choose lovingly.
Breathe In the Love Molecules
Perhaps we can’t avoid the Fear Virus, however, we can strengthen ourselves because of it. We can become more conscious of our susceptibility to fear and how we live when we are in fear. We can become more kind and compassionate in our hearts to ourselves and to every other person on the planet. Breathe in the LOVE MOLECULES. They are in every breath we take. They are the ones that will sustain us until we are strong enough to reach towards thriving.
If you are looking for more support in this unprecedented time, I am available for individual coaching, or, you may consider this group program coming up:
When Life Gets Scary: Living Creatively With Uncertainty
This 6-week Webinar with Margaret Lindsey, MFA & Rosie Kuhn, PhD, will provide a platform upon which you not only get to connect with others and play, but also develop creative practices that will empower you to live consciously with the ever-changing realities of life. We will focus on 6 elements of what’s really happening when life gets scary and uncertainty fills us up with stuff we’d rather not think about. We will focus not only on the scary stuff, but also on the brilliant, light and loving stuff, because that’s also part of who we are as creative beings.
6 sessions: 10-11:30am, Tuesdays, April 7th “ May 5th $150 for all 6 sessions
