Today I wanted to talk about fear. The current Coronavirus situation has a lot of people feeling afraid. People fear running out of supplies and are stock piling them. There is fear of other people, so guns and ammunition are being stock piled. There is fear of what is going to happen, and many other things being feared. Panic is everywhere.

So how do we deal with it? The world going into panic isn’t going to help the situation.. it makes it worse. I know it’s easier said than done, but I’m saying it.

I personally believe that everything is going to be okay, because God is in control of the situation. I don’t know what you believe, and don’t push my beliefs on anyone, but that’s how I’m getting through this.

I’m spending a lot of time at home with my kids these past couple weeks, and am thankful for our health. I’m thankful we have a place to live and food to eat. We don’t need a lot… I can make a bag of pasta last an entire week. I’ve basically turned into a vegetarian this week, because protein is expensive and isn’t a necessity. As long as we aren’t starving, we are doing okay.

What’s funny is that health and nutrition is a huge focus for me- I’ll post about that in later posts- and I generally stay away from gluten, and most carbs that are anything white- white sugar, flour, potatoes, rice, pasta etc.

I stepped on the scale this morning after having eaten pasta for 3 out of the last 4 meals and I’ve lost 4 pounds!! I don’t know how that happened! Ha.

Anyway, back to the topic. Fear as a whole, holds us back. Fear keeps you from living freely. Fear is a lack of trust and a lack of hope.

This is an amazing article on how fear holds us back, and I’ve taken it to heart in my own life as well.

No matter what happens in life, there is always something we can fear.. it creeps up on you when you least expect it. Fear of getting hurt in relationships, fear of abandonment, fear of loneliness, fear of rejection, fear of the world ending, fear of loss, fear of letting our kids grow up or leaving the house without us. The list goes on.

So how do we deal with it?

I think one of the biggest things that causes people to fear stems from relationships. Being afraid to jump in, being afraid to trust etc. There’s an actual term “Relationship Anxiety” which I’ve had my own personal struggles with.

I’ll get into more of my life story as time goes on, but I’ll just say that I have had a lot of experience with fear in my life. My fears have ruined relationships, or almost ruined them. I still struggle with it because of past hurts. It leaves you feeling like you don’t know who to trust, or how to trust, and then massive amounts of fear take over your mind and you find yourself afraid to trust. Fear of being hurt again. Fear of being blind sided. Then in turn thinking the worst of everyone and projecting past fears and hurts on current situations.
I’ve always wanted to have the attitude of trusting people and giving them the benefit of the doubt until they give me a reason not to, because I don’t want to be jaded and always thinking the worst of everyone. Somehow over time, I’ve realized that I’ve let a lot of past situations stick with me and cause a skewed view of people that haven’t done anything to deserve being looked at like that.

So back to the premise of fear. How do we deal with it? Well, I believe no matter what the situation, you have 2 choices. You can choose to look at the negative, and let that turn into fear, or you can focus on the positive and stay hopeful amidst turmoil, or potentially bad situations. It’s all to do with our mindset and how we look at every situation.

The glass is either half empty or it’s half full. We may not have control over the situations we face, but we can control our attitude about them.

The thing about situations potentially turning into bad ones… we have no guarantees about anything in life. Not trusting or letting go, and not being positive because of what might happen just prevents you from enjoying life. You could let fear hold you back from everything, and still get hit by a bus tomorrow.

I’ve learned a lot about myself and continue to learn daily. I’m committed to making the most out of life that I can, and always be pushing forward, not looking back. I try to look at every situation and figure out what I can take away from it, and learn about myself to become the best version of myself.

So amidst this tough time we are all in right now, I am choosing to focus on the things I am thankful for, instead of being afraid of what might happen.

I am thankful for my family, and that we are together and all healthy. I am thankful we have a place to live and food to eat. I am thankful we have clothes to wear and everything we need. I am thankful for the sunshine that’s streaming through my window and for my view of nature as I type this.

No matter what happens, as long as I have my family and basic needs covered, I’m doing okay.

Today I’ve chosen to stop allowing all the negativity that’s out there on social media right now to affect my thinking. I am staying educated, but not going to get wrapped up in other people’s opinions or get sucked into the negative vortex of fear and panic.

I am going to continue to make wise decisions to keep us safe, and that’s really all I can do. But I know I’m not going to allow fear to turn me into a miserable person. I’m going to stay focused on the positive and be grateful for the things we have and the people I care about.

I hope this resonates with some of you and gives you hope.

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