Listen To Your Worry -- Make A Plan

Watching the news and seeing people’s reaction to it has made me wonder -- what are people stressing about?

I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way. I mean, really, what is the specific thing you are stressing about? When you see the news of Coronavirus impact on elderly, the poor, the economy, the stock market, on your friends, on your family, and on you and your personal well-being, which of these stresses you out more than others?

Listen to that response in your body. What speaks louder to you than others? Does news about the elderly make you concerned for your parents? Does news about the poor make you concerned about your neighbors? Do you worry about your financial state and if you’ll be able to weather this storm?

What to do with these feelings? The best way to quell worry and anxiety is not to take action, but to develop a plan.

Worried about your parents and wish you could have more time with them if something bad were to happen? Make a plan: keep in touch with them daily over the next few weeks, few months, and make a long-term plan to boost that relationship.

Worried about the poor in your neighborhood? Make a plan: educate yourself on local resources, reach out to your neighbors to gather community intel, start a dialogue with your less fortunate neighbors so you can keep up with what needs they may have.

Worried about your finances during this time? Make a plan: minimize the damage now -- sell items, pick up a side hustle, cut expenses; and let the fear of financial ruin motivate you to change your future spending habits -- set a budget, pay off debt, set up an emergency fund.

Worried the virus may actually threaten your life? Make a plan: stay quarantined and follow guidance; determine if your vulnerability was your fault; if it is because of poor health decisions over time, let this be an inflection point in your life to change habits, to reset the behaviors, and find new community (or shed bad old community).

What makes you most concerned during this chaotic time? From that concern, develop a short-term and long-term plan to bring order to chaos. Chaotic times are always a turning point in your life, it is up to you if that turning point will be for the better or for the worse.