Has Covid-19 got you down this season? The days between Thanksgiving and New Years are filled with shopping, cooking, planning, making decisions, working, and going, going, going. And this year we have Covid-19 on top of that. This pandemic makes shopping less desirable and planning almost impossible! It’s ruined your Thanksgiving plans, your Christmas plans, your New Years plans and now you’re wondering about summer vacation.
You wonder how much more your job and future will be affected. How will all this affect your family? Will your children grow up “normal” because of Covid? Will they get the best education? How is it affecting their emotional state? How is it affecting your emotional state? How about your relationships? Your finances? Your spiritual life? The list goes on and on! You see threats and heartache everywhere you turn and that has made this holiday season all the more stressful.
So what can we do to make a difference in our lives for the better, while we’re constantly being reminded of the worst?
Many studies have shown that the practice of gratitude tends to make people happier and less depressed. “Yeah, but Debbie”, you say, “I am grateful and I already know what I’m grateful for”.
Let me give you a different perspective and encourage you to look at Covid-19, just for this moment, a little differently. How about writing a letter to Covid and telling it the things you are thankful for? This might be stretching it for some of you. It did for one of my clients at the beginning.
She was so frustrated with the effects the pandemic was having on her family, her relationship with her husband, and her health. Then, we worked through it by her writing a letter. It gave her an entirely different outlook and she found her stress level going down almost immediately. I asked her if I could share this letter with you and she gladly agreed. Here it is:
Dear Covid,
I’ll have to admit, you have put my life into a tailspin. The things I once took for granted, I no longer do. Things like running to the grocery store with the kids to pick up toilet paper, meeting a friend for lunch, going to the movies, and having play dates for my kids.
You have truly changed how we will live our lives forever. So if stardom is what you wanted, you got it!
With one fell swoop, you managed to keep me from my grandparents during Thanksgiving, ruin our traditional family gathering for Christmas, and now postpone a much-needed romantic New Years weekend for my husband and me.
But that’s nothing compared to the lives that have been lost by your hand, Covid, including one of my very own family members. You have caused so much death and destruction and I never want to minimize that in any way.
But I wanted to take a minute and tell you the things I’m thankful for.
You’ve given me sweet, precious time with my kids that I never would have had before.
You’ve caused me to slow down. My life has always been such a whirlwind. Now I know life can be more peaceful if I take time to smell the roses. You’ve also helped me realize I do have control over how fast-paced my life is.
You have taught me to enjoy an evening walk with my family. We’ve made it a habit and now the kids beg to go walking, even in cooler weather.
You helped me to take action in my life. I knew my health was not good. You helped me realize if I’m healthier, I have more energy for my family and can be around longer to enjoy my kids. Thanks to you, Covid, instead of gaining the Quarantine 15, I took action and have lost 30 pounds! Look at me!
You taught me how valuable my kids’ teachers are. They work tirelessly to provide an education for my children. Most of the time, they go unnoticed. I’ve made an effort to let them know how much I appreciate them.
You’ve allowed me to work from home, which was unimaginable for me before you came along. I was able to experience the ups and downs so now know if that’s something I want to continue. Knowledge is power and now I know the pros and cons so my company and I can make a good decision about this moving forward.
You helped me be more appreciative of my job and respectful of those I work with. We’ve shared more of our struggles and challenges within our team than we ever have before. I’ve gotten to know my team members on a deeper level and we are more like family now. Because of that, we reached goals we hadn’t been able to in the past.
You taught me the joy of giving when a co-worker’s family member lost her job and our office took up money to help her through that difficult time. I’ll never forget the look on her face and her reaction when we delivered it. I realized in that moment that could be me.
You have helped me to be closer to my aging parents. We now talk daily, something we never did before because we were “too busy”. The friendship and support I’ve gained is something I’ll never forget.
You helped my relationship with my husband grow into something I never thought would happen. We had become too busy for each other. Now, we lay all electronics aside and consciously make time each evening before bed to talk about our struggles, concerns, and plans.
You’ve caused me to stop and reflect on my life and the lives of my family and to think about what really matters in my life.
I vow to remember all my lessons learned and never go back, Covid. This letter will go on my refrigerator as a reminder of what I gained from this time.
I’ll never go back to being too busy for my children, my husband, and my parents. I’ll never go back to not taking the time to know my team members and not communicating with them. I’ll never go back to being in my own little world where others don’t matter because I’m too focused on me.
So thank you, Covid, for all you’ve given me … more love, respect, precious memories, better health, and whole new outlook and mindset change.
Because after all, when I get to the end of my life, those are the things that will have mattered the most.
Sincerely,
—S.D.
What an amazing letter. Can you see how looking through the eyes of gratitude helped her view life in a different, more positive way?
I encourage you, my friend, to write a letter to Covid. What lessons have you learned? What insights have you gained? What mindset shifts have you made for the better?
If writing a letter sounds too daunting, take just 3 minutes and jot down 3 things that this unmatched time in history has taught you or the positive ways it has changed you.
Drop a note in the comments to let us know one thing.
Thank you, my friend, and
here’s to your health!
