I have recently taken an adjusted approach when it comes to consuming content online. The onslaught can be a bit daunting especially when the news paints a somewhat bleak world and reading article after article can take a toll on one’s mental health. I read what I can and when I feel like I’m getting overloaded, I go back to these posts that I have bookmarked. These articles seem to give me a sense of comfort and calm at a time like this so I thought I’d share them here in case you’re looking to curate a set of your own.
“As our new normal has set in, I’ve learned to appreciate the small freedoms we still have and how resilient my children have been.”
– Ng, Serena (2020). How One Family Is Dealing With Life, Disrupted. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-one-family-is-dealing-with-life-under-covid-19-11584034963?mod=e2fb
This post written by Serena Ng shares how their life has been with the sudden closures of offices and schools in Hong Kong. She has two kids, ages 5 and 7, and lives in a 60 sqm. apartment. This particular article gives me a small insight on how other working women are potentially coping with day to day life around the world.
“While we may not understand why he permits certain things to happen, we can rest assured that there is a reason behind it all.”
– Kosloski, Philip (2020). Recite this Psalm to place yourself in God’s protection. Retrieved from https://aleteia.org/2020/03/15/recite-this-psalm-to-place-yourself-in-gods-protection/
God comforts and heals and this Psalm is a good refuge if you’re looking for some peace.
“Acceptance, as you might imagine, is where the power lies. We find control in acceptance. I can wash my hands. I can keep a safe distance. I can learn how to work virtually.“
– Berinato, Scott (2020). That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/amp/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief
I found this article really helpful towards understanding how I’ve been feeling lately. There’s a cloud of anticipatory grief in the air that we need to address. As explained in the article, it is really unhealthy anxiety coming into play. “Anticipatory grief is the mind going to the future and imagining the worst. To calm yourself, you want to come into the present.“
“Consider it a good thing that you are not in denial, and that you are allowing yourself to work through the anxiety. No sane person feels good during a global disaster, so be grateful for the discomfort of your sanity.”
– Ahmad, Aisha (2020). Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-You-Should-Ignore-All-That/248366
If the previous article helped get me a sort of handle on my feelings, this one gives another person’s voice to my thoughts.
“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.”
– Roy, Arundhati (2020). The Pandemic is a Portal. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca?fbclid=IwAR12RZzmMP3JUV160kc3MSBePorIVPyzRcaT2xDORwY7XkXq64XJljlJI8E
This last one is a reminder that we are currently in a “portal” as the author described. How we choose to go through, what we choose to do are just some of the questions still yearning for answers.
