Our country is in a crisis, schools are closed, jobs are influx, and the future is uncertain.
So how are people responding?
Angry FB posts, ranting all over social media, caustic reviews of their neighbors and friends.
People are pissed.
Pissed at each other, pissed at their government, their employer, their children, the grocery store, the gym…
They are angry at how people are responding the pandemic. People seem convinced that they know how others should be acting during this time. How the government should be responding. How employers should be reacting, etc. When people/governments/employers don’t follow their expectations, they are losing their FREAKING MINDS.
Many people don’t see it this way. They truly believe that they know the best response. That they know how people “should” be acting and anyone who deviates from that is acting like an “idiot.”
People are feeling indignant and self righteous about their approach to this crisis. They have it right and anyone who acts differently is just a bunch of idiots.
The reality is that humans get to act any way that they want.
We have to share this planet with all the humans and they get to do what they want. Spending energy trying to control them is futile.
No one likes to be controlled or told how to live their life. YOU, dear reader, do not like to be controlled or told how to live. What makes you think you get to tell others how to live? What makes you think that they should listen to you?
Free will is a beautiful thing.
As humans, we don’t get to enjoy free will but then criticize others for using their free will in a way that we don’t understand or agree with. That is the whole point. They get to do what they want. Period. That includes how they want to act during a time of crisis.
Besides, what’s the upside? How is that FB rant panning out for you? How do you feel about that scathing post you just dropped into the blog-o-sphere? Is that bringing you happiness?
I’m not telling you not to send that nasty post or message but what I want you to consider is — Why are you doing it? What’s it getting you? What’s it costing you? Could you use that energy in a more productive manner?
At the end of the day, we cannot control the humans. The only thing you can control is how you choose to think about this crisis and how you want to respond.
We don’t know what is going to happen.
You don’t know for certain that your approach is the “right” or “best” approach. There is no way that any of us can know with absolute certainty what is going to happen. We have to stop acting like we DO know. We DON’T know and that’s okay.
Decide how you want to think and how you want to respond and let everyone else make their own decision.
You can spend this crisis being indignant and angry and lashing out or you can use this crisis to show up as your best self. How are you going to want to look back on this time? How do you really want to spend your energy? The choice is, after all, yours and yours alone.
Need help coping or dealing with this new normal? I get it. Now, more than ever, my clients are looking for support. They want to know how to keep moving forward despite the fears and anxiety. If you need help to manage your stress and buoy yourself during the chaos, schedule a free consultation today.
