Have you acknowledged and assessed how you are coping with COVID19?
What's that you are saying?
(adapted from Dr. Seuss's beloved book Green Eggs and Ham)
"I can not cope, would not cope, on a boat.
I can not, will not, with a goat.
I can not cope in the rain.
I can not, will not on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! Just let me be!
I will not cope in a box.
I will not with a fox.
I will not in a house.
I will not with a mouse.
I can not cope here or there.
I can not ANYWHERE!"
But are you trying to cope? To assist you, here are some points to consider:
Search for meaning: We may be fighting a different kind of war tackling through COVID19 but we are living with more freedom and less hunger than prisoners of war. In his book Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl chronicled his experiences as a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II and identified a purpose in life to feel positive about and the importance of a positive attitude during this time of suffering.
Do you practice gratitude for your freedom and the food on your table? Can this unprecedented time open up new opportunities for you?
Stay hopeful and positive: Prior to being found and moved into a concentration camp during the Holocaust, Anne Frank at 13 years old went into hiding with her family in a secret attic for 2 years. During that time she chronicled her experiences, hopes and dreams in a diary that has since been published. One of her many positive, hopeful quotes from The Diary of a Young Girl is "I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more."
Can you keep in mind that you may not have control of what is happening externally but you have choice in your attitude towards what is happening?
Laughter is the best medicine: Anne Frank also wrote in her diary "There’s only one rule you need to remember: laugh at everything and forget everybody else! It sound egotistical, but it’s actually the only cure for those suffering from self-pity."
Do you bring laughter into your daily life?
What's that you are saying? Are you saying you are going to try and cope?
"I can try to cope.
I can try and cope in a boat!
And I will cope with a goat...
And I will in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
The more I try the better it can be!
So I will cope in a box.
And I will with a fox.
And I will cope in a house.
And I will cope with a mouse.
And I will cope here and there.
I WILL COPE WITH COVID19 ANYWHERE!"
#AcknowledgeAssessAssist
Eleanor Silverberg, BA Psych, MSW, RSW
Founder, Jade Self Development Coaching
Dementia/Caregiving/Grief Specialist
3-A Coping Strategist #AcknowledgeAssessAssist
Social Worker, Author, Speaker
647.624.5677
www.eleanorsilverberg.com
Assisting so you can Self Monitor with Self Awareness!
Click here for "A Framework for Coping with COVID-19: The First Step"
Preview/order Keeping It Together and Mindfulness for Dementia
Follow Eleanor on Twitter @strongcaregiver
Like Eleanor on Facebook
