Responding to Corona Virus Madness - Find Your Calm in Crazy Times

Background

In many parts of the world, the past couple of weeks have involved an escalated public, business, and social  response to the corona virus. We haven't had anything on this scale on Earth before. Many factors are at play, which I go into more in my new book Predictions 2020 about to be published. To say that we as a society weren't prepared for this is an understatement.

We're already in warp-speed transformation mode now. The year 2020 and the decade ahead will be remembered for this, and for how we as a collective responded to the need to change long-outmoded ways of being.

To have the corona virus arrive now is definitely adding to our wake-up call for change. That's actually a good thing as I'll describe more in this article.

These moments are pivotal for determining how our larger society can adapt to this magnitude of chaos, and indeed madness. As I wrote about in previous articles - Riding the Next Wave of Change and Coping During Global Hysteria and Uncertainty - it's essential that we reach inside of ourselves and apply our training and wisdom.

Examples of Madness

Here are a few examples of madness unfolding now - especially in countries with confirmed cases of corona virus. Depending on the location, the situations outlined below may be in place for 2 weeks, 2 months, or longer. The "longer" time frame, since it's not specified, adds to the feeling of anxiety people have.

Because of the threat of the corona virus to the population's health and safety, public health officials in some key places are mandating things like the following.

1. Businesses either reduce in-store hours, shut down altogether, or adapt to online sales.
2. Similarly, large public gatherings are being curtailed and large events canceled.
3. At many companies, workers are being asked to work from home.
4. The public is being advised in the US and some other countries to practice social distancing and stay home as much as possible. When shoppers do go to stores, they may find rows of empty shelves, minimal basic products, and long lines. Store hours vary, sometimes overnight, as stores cope with the need to restock.
5. Citizens are on high-alert for notices from their local public agencies. These often change daily to reflect best practices for staying healthy and avoiding the spread of the corona virus. The message from many public agencies is to get prepared for an indefinite time at home without usual interactions in stores, at work, and at social events.

As an example of public agency notices - just now I received a notice from the City of Santa Monica that starting now through March 31 we have a temporary business closure for restaurants, gyms, theaters, and salons.

Why You Feel Like You Do

Considering what I've just outlined, you can better understand why you feel anxious, irritated, or simply uncertain in these moments. This can be the case even if you don't live somewhere with suggested social distancing and curtailed life activities.  Why? We're all connected. No borders can separate us on an energetic level. We are one human family.

Positives of Our Situation

Consider the positives of our situation. Some may be temporary, while the crisis lasts, but consider that some of them may endure long afterwards as new ways to live and work.

• First, working from home is now an option for many employees who previously needed to commute to an office.
• Second, for some discontinued public meetings, there now is an online component.
• Third, companies with store-fronts are beginning to offer customers free shipping on any size online order.
• Fourth, employees not having a long commute to work have more time at home to be with their families and take needed downtime.
• Fifth, people everywhere are being given an opportunity to reassess how they live their lives, what's really important to them, and how they want to go forward.
• Sixth, individuals like health care practitioners and teachers who previously offered services mainly on-site are now beginning to offer services remotely via phone or apps like Zoom and Skype.
• Seventh, citizens are reaching out to neighbors with offers to help them with shopping and other errands.

What You Can Do

Daily invite your common sense and intuitively guided reason to show you how to respond to what's happening. Don't make this crisis about you personally. But do take responsibility for yourself and your responses. If you need down time, or simply a moment for an attitude adjustment before shopping or interacting with others, take that time.

Keep in mind the positives like mentioned above. As you witness or experience positive things, allow them to inspire you and to help you find moments of calm. Share those positive things with others. If you journal, write them down in your journal. This will help you later when you look back on these moments and have flashbacks of empty shelves, attempting to find toilet paper, and canceled activities.

Avoid assumptions. Many things may be much different than they appear.

Avoid blame. This includes blaming health officials and leaders. It includes blaming the crisis on something maliciously man-made. It's not helpful to go there in your mind. Regardless of where the virus came from, how it came about, and who did what - accept that it's here.

The virus, if it had consciousness and could talk, might remind us that we need a wake-up call about how we live together on this small planet.