Finding the Good

Some people might look at the title of this post and say “well that’s easier said than done, the world is a mess!” which yes, they’re completely right, it is a mess. With all of the chaos, stress, bad news, and casualty rates, it can be difficult to find the good things that are happening right now. The Coronavirus is affecting everyone in the world, some just have it better than others. I am so blessed that my family is still healthy, but my best friend’s extended family has the virus, and things aren’t looking too great. Over 1 million cases have been detected, and over 61,000 people have died. So many people all over the world have lost loved ones, family members, friends, and that hurt can lead to serious mental health issues or even suicides. Thousands of people have lost their jobs, and I fell like that point doesn’t get highlighted enough. Too many people aren’t getting their regular paychecks that were just enough to get them by, and personally, I didn’t even think to think about the people that are loosing their jobs until one of my friend’s parents both lost their jobs. Relationships have been strained because of the lack of face-to-face contact which could lead to break-ups, fights, loosing close friendships, and other terrible things. These are all things to be thinking about because it is important to help whoever you can in any way that you can, but again, it is extremely difficult to find the good in all of this. I can’t count how many times I’ve been told to focus on the good things that are happening because of the Coronavirus, but once you can sit down, take a breath, and just start to think positively, finding the good in the situation isn’t all that hard. Some good things that have happened for me are that I have been able to really get this blog going with all of the free time I have now, I have been on FaceTime with two of my closest friends everyday, I have felt closer to a large group of my friends than I have in a long time, and I have been able to play guitar a lot more. I’ve written a bunch of letters to shut-ins with my family, and we’ve gotten tons of good feedback saying that those letters have made people’s days. I’ve seen lots of good stories on social media about kids giving their elderly neighbor a concert, people buying food for other families that can’t get out of the house, and neighborhoods setting up small scavenger hunt type things for neighborhood kids. Some of my friends have been painting so much lately, and it makes them so happy. My sister has had more time to talk with her boyfriend, who is half way across the country in the military, because she’s not in school the whole day. My friends and I have started realizing who my our truly close friends are because they’re the ones that we want to talk to all the time, and the ones that make an effort to reach out to us. In this time of complete insanity, we just need to look for the good things in the mess of bad and some things will start to look up because there will be a little less negativity in the world.

Overwhelmed? Use this list to think about the good things.

• Sit down, take a deep breath and relax
• Think about what you’ve been able to do since quarantine has started where you live. Think about how your life has changed in that time
• Have you gotten in contact with a friend or family member that you haven’t talked to in a long time? If not, do it! Find someone you want to connect with that you haven’t seen or talked to in a while.
• Have you gotten some exercise? If not, do it! Get a workout app that you like (I like Workout Women) and use some spare time to get in shape!
• Have you read a book? If not, look for one, ask friends for suggestions, order a new book, or read your favorite one again.
• Write a list of people, places, and things that you’re thankful that you have. What can you do with that? Call those people, plan a trip for when this is all over with.