Back to Center: 'COVID was a nightmare - not again!'

I was just reading about how there are plans to reinstate COVID mandates in the U.S. and I am feeling completely overwhelmed by anxiety. No!!! I thought this garbage was over! Masks, contact tracing, lockdowns, all the lies…I can't go through this again! COVID was a nightmare –  I thought we had woken up from it, but now it's about to start all over again. I feel panicked every time I think about it, and I just want to run away, but there's nowhere to run to. What do I do? How do I deal with this? 

Thank you for sharing so deeply. It's a brave thing to admit that you're scared, and you're giving voice here to thoughts and feelings that I'm sure many people share with you. I'll be honest – I also feel dread and fear when I think about COVID mandates returning. So, I'll tell you what I'm telling myself, and I hope it will give you some comfort and courage.

First, you are not alone. There are people around the world – probably many more than you realize – who feel as you do, that the COVID experience we were force-fed was one big lie. If mandates do return as projected, we may find that there are even more people who resist this time around after having gone through COVID once. Find the people around you whom you can trust, and stand by each other. We're stronger together. 

You are stronger than you realize. When you feel like you're drowning in fear, remember this: You got through it the first time around. Yes, it may have been incredibly difficult, but one way or another, you came through it. If you can, think back a bit about your COVID experience. What inner resources did you draw on to persevere through those times? How did you keep yourself going? What helped you get to the other side? Even if you feel like you were a mess, know that you have strengths that carried you through. Identify and harness them for whatever lies ahead.

Accepting reality helps you get through it. When we feel that something bad is looming, we often want to fight it or deny it or run away from it. The trouble is, if something is really happening, none of those options are going to help us weather the storm – they'll probably just make things harder for us. But if we can get to the place of accepting the reality that is before us – in this case, that it looks like COVID is making some sort of comeback – then we become empowered with choices to make. How am I going to approach this difficult experience? What thoughts do I want to consciously choose about what I'm going through? What can I do to help myself and others? What am I willing to do, and what am I not willing to do? Things will probably still be hard, but you'll be owning your experience, heading into it straight on. You'll likely feel stronger and see yourself in a more positive light, which will give you an extra dose of courage to carry on.

Above all, keep breathing. Fear feeds on lack of air. Breathing deeply when you're afraid will help you recenter and find your footing again. Find activities that help you feel calm and positive, and add them into your daily routine. Take care of yourself in any way you can.

No doubt about it – we are living in tough times. Hang in there, friend, and take heart. I believe there is an “other side” to this mess we're in, and holding onto the hope of that will carry us through the darkness. Be well!

****

Previous columns:

• ‘My kids are obsessed with screens’
• ‘Why would I want to stay home with my kid?’
• ‘I let myself be talked into a medical procedure I didn’t want'
• ‘I encountered a slew of racist hate messages online’
• ‘I want to take our family’s health back into our own hands'
• ‘Even though things are better with COVID, my friends are still on medication’
• ‘I am “awake” now, but I wasn’t always'
• 'My daughter is worried for her friends who got the COVID shot'
• ‘How can people call themselves Christians and believe these things are okay?’
• ‘I’m alone for the holidays for the very first time'
• ‘What’s a formerly proud American to do these days?'
• ‘How can I extend forgiveness for all the COVID atrocities when it still hurts so much?’
• 'I long to help my daughter connect with God in these times'
• Is it irresponsible to think of having another child in today's world?
• ‘I want my son to have strong male role models’
• ‘Our son has secretly been in the process of gender transition’
• ‘I wonder if the sacrifices I and my fellow soldiers made were worth it’
• ‘I know Scripture approves of 2nd Amendment rights, but the idea leaves me uneasy’
• ‘I was an approval-seeking people-pleaser’
• 'God is a God of justice, right? Where’s my justice?'
• ‘I’ve tried my best to be faithful and live a holy life; now I don’t know what to believe’
• 'Kids gravitate toward honest answers, even when they’re tough answers'
• 'I used to be a pretty positive person, but the world is different now'
• 'Do I have an obligation to say something to my friend who is about to inject her one-year-old?'
• 'How do I respond to wild hatred?'
• ‘All my friends have abandoned me’
• ‘Who am I to build a better world?’
• 'The world does not have to understand or approve of your choices'
• 'I get tired and overwhelmed'
• 'I vacillate between feeling inspired and useless'
• ‘I pity the people creating the lies’
• ‘The anger and hurt feelings are costing you too much’
• ‘People who once treated each other with so much love and kindness are now at odds’
• ‘Struggling with my relationship with God since COVID’
• 'I have lost confidence in our healthcare system, including my own personal doctors'
• 'Can you forgive yourself for the years you couldn’t be there with your daughter?'
• 'My wife is willing to take the sacrifice for her sister and I'm sick to my stomach thinking about it'
• 'I deeply regret taking the vaccine'
• 'Married 39 years and I thought we were on the same page when it came to things that mattered most'
• ‘How do I repair this relationship or accept that I may never see my son again?’
• ‘How can I stop fear from controlling my every thought and ruining my dreams?’
• 'How can I pursue my dream to find the person to marry, when it's so hard to connect with new people because of COVID?'
• 'How can I feel safe these days?'
• Advice column premier: Back to Center

Sarah encourages you to reach out to her with requests for advice! Please send your questions to advice@aflds.org.  Anonymous and secure.

Sarah Perron is a Certified Transformational Life Coach. Her passion is to help people create a powerful vision for their lives, identify and eliminate anything that holds them back, and step into their own unique greatness and mission in the world. She believes deeply in the power of coaching to bring fresh perspectives, ideas, and motivation to anyone who wants to thrive in life. Sarah works with clients one-on-one and in group coaching programs and presents exciting workshops on self-development topics. You can follow her on her YouTube channel Find Your Fire.

You are invited to book a complimentary coaching call with Sarah! Please visit https://calendly.com/sarahperroncoaching/45min to choose a time that's convenient for you. She looks forward to meeting you!