Things had been getting a little grim in my head. My daily routine remained mostly intact, with the days spent in our loft, watching Cyrus play and making faces at River. Cyrus’s birthday was sweet and simple, filled with his newest obsession— space. Space-themed donuts, space-themed balloons, and space-themed gifts. Movies played in the background as I prepared a snack tray and put the finishing touches on a rich chocolate cake my mom baked. You almost wouldn’t know any different if it wasn’t for the faint ping of news updates notifying us of the national emergency Trump just declared. And if you were brave enough to venture into the outside world, you’d find aisles of empty shelves in all the local grocery stores. To add to the heaviness of the current state, gray clouds had been hovering low for days on end, closing off the outside world even more so. 

I know my natural tendency is to slide into a habit of anxious thoughts. I think human instinct tends to be to lean more toward self destruction than the opposite direction. It’s why when faced with hardship or heartache, you might find yourself 6 seasons into Friends with a gallon of mint chocolate chip in your lap. Or why getting out of bed and putting on pants is the hardest when motivation is lacking. Without active resistance against these tendencies, the beautiful facets of our personalities start to flake away, leaving us tired, worried shells of our former selves. 

These are the things I am doing to stay grounded, to lean into the season and come out all the better for it. 

First and foremost, I am aligning myself with truth. We may be experiencing a pandemic, but if I’m not careful, the biggest threat to my well-being is inside my own mind. I may be infiltrated with thoughts about finances or health or loneliness, but truth tells me God is my provider and sustainer, and with Him I lack no good thing. For every lie thrown my way, I counter it with scripture and I store these words up in my heart. 

Another thing I am trying to be extra mindful of is watching my inputs. Ironically enough, I chose to fast from social media during Lent, so I haven’t been privy to the mass response to all the chaos the coronavirus has sparked. The initial intention was to break my nasty habit of scrolling mindlessly when I should be interacting with my kids or making better use of that time. But I have no doubt that its absence has only benefited my mental well-being. Instead of filling my brain up on news articles and mindless information, I’ve spent my downtime working crosswords, reading inspiring material, and being present for my kids. It’s silly to think that the things we allow in have no effect on our attitudes. If we are constantly filling ourselves up with garbage, we are going to feel like garbage. It’s a simple but powerful truth.

There is a science behind this one that is fascinating. When we choose to practice gratitude, we are actually rewiring our brains. I say practice because gratitude is not a feeling but a choice. And if you use it regularly, it can be a phenomenal tool to dig you out of the pit. The simplest way to do this is to make a list. When I wake up stressed or discouraged, I pull out my journal and mindfully begin recalling all the things in life I’m thankful for. 

1. Sunshine

2. A home I enjoy spending time in

3. A husband and boys I adore

4. Online food delivery services

You get the picture. If you notice your thoughts have become increasingly more negative, begin remapping them with more positive thinking. Eventually thankfulness will become a natural response.

Investing in my health is unfortunately a revelation I tend to have when I can’t remember the last time my shoulders didn’t feel tense or the last time I went for a run. I find it ironic that the efforts intended to protect us from this virus are the very things that break down an immune system. In fear, we’ve raided the frozen food section at all the local grocery stores, stocked up on processed meals, cut off community, and holed up in our houses, depleting ourselves of sunshine and Vitamin D. Personally, I think we can do better. Amidst the quarantining, we can still eat our vegetables and stretch our legs and open the blinds. It’s going to be okay, and we have to act like it is. 

Finally, despite the social distancing regulations, it’s critical for us to remain connected. Not just through Twitter feeds and Snap Chats, but through meaningful conversations. Now more than ever we need one another for encouragement and prayer. FaceTime, write letters, date your spouse at home, create group threads with your community, do whatever you need to do to remind others and yourself that you are not alone.

Maybe you are handling this season like a pro — taking each day in stride and simply enjoying the time off of work. Or maybe you are lonely and stressed and trying to muster up the energy to put pants on in the morning. Either way, there are always things we can be doing to improve the atmosphere of our surroundings.