19 Gratitudes to Counter COVID-19 Concerns

Today I am grateful for routines and sunshine.

There is no escaping the fears and upheavals that have entered all of our lives as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds. COVID-19 gets its name from Coronavirus Disease 2019. We should each be taking it seriously, acting prudently, and doing our part to help in the ways we can.

It has been crazy, uncharted territory we have found ourselves in. For those of us living in the U.S., it has really just been the last few days that have opened our eyes wide to the potential for many sick people, weeks of shutdowns, unknown economic impacts, normalcy thrown out the window in many ways we usually take for granted.

What can we do to manage in such uncertain times? What can we do to keep ourselves healthy and grounded so we can be of help to others, or have a better chance of recovering if we catch the virus?

We can breathe, rest, stay hydrated, exercise, be grateful. Grateful? At a time like this? Yes.

Gratefulness can keep us grounded, keep us out of full-on fear, give us some good energy when we are certainly going to need it. Help us keep connected to one another. Allow us to see the greater good and how our humanity is pulling us together.

So I propose that we each consider our own list of 19 gratitudes to counter the concern and unsettling times we are in due to COVID-19.  Make your own list. Write it. Say it out loud. Share it with others. Make one with your family at the dinner table or your co-workers at the office. Share it over social media or a group text. It is not making light of COVID-19. It is shoring ourselves up for what lies ahead.

Here is the start of my list:

1. ROUTINE  Keeping routines where we can is helpful at unsettling times. I wrote in my gratitude journal and I composed this post. I am doing my exercises and also walking the dog.

2. CASHIERS and STOCKERS at the stores this weekend, working so hard to help the rest of us feel prepared for our family needs.

3. SUNSHINE Yesterday's sunshine didn't fit the mood of what is transpiring, but it helps lift our spirits and brings hope. It reminds me that we are small parts of a large whole and that the whole will survive this. If it doesn't shine where you are today, hidden behind clouds, know that it is still there and still doing what it does.

4. RECOVERY Recovery from alcoholism has brought me through many rough hours and days and has given me useful tools to help. Those tools are coming in handy now. ODAT One Day at a Time is especially helpful in recent days.

What is on the start of your list?

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