The grass is not greener on the other side of the pasture, no matter whose pasture it is. 
How often have we looked at the lives of others compared against our own? This is a trap to avoid. Our minds can be our best friends or worst enemies, depending on our mood in any particular moment. Our moods are like the shifting sands in the desert wind storm. We can help ourselves and others by directing the way we think. You and I are in charge of our thoughts. Our thoughts do not think us. We think our thoughts.
We are all born where we are born, in that particular place, in those particular circumstances, with those particular parents or situation. We all have the personality we were born with, with the general outlook on life that we have. How many hours and dollars have been spent trying to manipulate our lives, thoughts, words and actions into other realities?
During these trying times, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to be cautious and take the extra measures to keep ourselves and our families safe. This does not mean, housebound as we are, that we need to delve into depression because we erroneously think “that is just who I am, a person with depression.”
IF YOU DO NOT LIKE HOW YOU ARE FEELING, CHANGE HOW YOU ARE THINKING.
Not many other words cause as much outrage than those words mentioned above. These words are true. You are not a victim of your feelings, and you are not the victim of your life, even if it has been this way all your life. What this really means is that you have believed a lie. Yes, there may be chemical imbalances you may have to deal with. Seek help from your naturopath or herbal or flower essence therapist in these cases. Strong drugs are seldom the solution. Even if your doctor does prescribe medication for your situation, you STILL will arrive at the very starting point I am making here. You are in control of your thoughts. You will only heal when you decide to do so.
You will still stay depressed, even on medication, unless you CHANGE HOW YOU ARE THINKING. YES, YOU CAN! The question is, do you want to feel better? Sometimes we say we do, but deep down we really do not. Sometimes it is others who have sabotaged our thinking. Sometimes it is ourselves who have sabotaged our own thinking.
How do you control that negative, repetitive mental loop cycle that weighs you down? The second you realize your negative thoughts are repeating, STOP THEM. Do things that affect any or all of your six senses. You can:
- change the music to happier music
- boil cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves for a wonderful aroma
- soak your feet in hot water with lavender
- look for the birds and beauty around you or online
- eat something delicious slowly appreciating every bite
- pray and/or meditate, light a candle of faith, hope and love
It is not the case that you cannot change your mood or what you think about, even in the most horrific situations. As an international holistic health counselor/practitioner, I have been trained to guide people toward positive solutions and ways to keep a positive outlook in the midst of tragic life circumstances. There is so much we cannot change in the physical reality that we find ourselves in. However, we can change how we think, speak and act an deal with these situations.
I did not say this is an easy thing to do, although it can be. The difficulty with changing a negative mood, thought or state of being into a positive one depends entirely on the desire to do so AND taking the necessary steps to relieve depression. I am saying it is possible. Do not be discouraged by the facts as you see them in front of you. There are more facts to consider. Ask yourself these questions:
- Why am I in this situation right now?
- How can I help myself so I can help others?
- If I am serving with life-saving care, where would these people be without me?
- Do I realize God is working through me to help these people right now?
- Do I realize God is working through my hands?
- Do I realize God is speaking through my words of comfort to others?
- Do I realize God is supporting me in my times of complete exhaustion?
- Do I realize I can call on my guardian angel for help in every moment?
- Do I fully understand how much comfort my presence brings to the situation?
- Do I realize how needed I am right now, and always?
- Do I realize how LOVED I am right now, by God and my LOVED Ones?
- Do I realize that despite appearances, I am making a valuable difference in the lives of others?
You matter. You matter a lot. Bloom where you are planted. You are the most beautiful flower in your garden of life. You will bloom when you feed yourself with the right nutrients of the love of God, complete with the fertilization of faith in God and your God-given abilities, and the moral courage of hope in the promises of Jesus Christ.
DO NOT FORGET TO DRINK WATER. Did you know that when the brain is just two percent dehydrated that you can get “fuzzy thinking?” At moments like these you are not thinking straight. It makes you mentally exhausted. The brain is our hydro-electric machine, requiring water to operate in optimal condition. Drinking water will not cure anyone of COVID-19, but it will help with how we think and feel.
It is also hurtful to be away from family and friends physically for a while, and amid COVID-19 with the loss of life in its wake. Still, we can all do our best to be our very best, in all situations. We can bloom where we are planted. We can extend our love to those around us both family and friends via social media and social distancing. We can all give hope to those around us who need us. Sometimes it is us who need them. Rely on faith in God when all else seems impossible.
Jesus came to teach us the virtues of faith, hope and love. You and I can share these three theological virtues in this week prior to Holy Week as our Lenten gift to others. Let us all pray more and offer our prayers to God, seeking only His will in all things. Ask for the help of the strength of the Holy Spirit promised to us who remember to call on God in this way. Remember also that Jesus, while on the cross, gave his mother, Mary, to all of us when he told John, “Behold Your Mother!” Mary is also our Spiritual Mother.
Don’t forget, if we get completely overwhelmed by the trials of this life, it is Jesus who carries us shown by His footprints in the sand. He will never abandon us.
The harsh reality in this life that we will all face, is that we will all one day die. No one lives forever. Considering this sobering fact, how is it that we want and choose to live? My mother gave me a great gift when she taught me the childhood prayers, especially:
Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
I remember, as a five year old asking my mother, “Mom’s does ‘if I should die before I wake’ mean?” Here I was at such a tender age learning about life and death and the life to come in heaven with God the Father of Jesus, if I was good that is. Sometimes we live our lives as if we will never die, thinking we never having to be accountable to our actions, and basing all our decisions on materialism, consumerism and only physical realities. What a huge mistake this is. There is more to life.
May we come to fully understand how much every decision we make in this one life we get, and every opportunity we get at every new moment of every day, can benefit ourselves and all of humanity, in their and our temporal lives as well as their and our eternal lives to come. Now is not forever. There’s is more.
God Bless