Finding Peace in A Pandemic
It is not an easy feat to find peace during this time of the pandemic. Cases are rising, people are dying, stress is up, motivation is down, but even in these trying times while we struggle more now than ever before, finding inner peace seems unreachable. Right now, peace and balance in life seems fleeting. There are ways to achieve it while remaining safe, decompressing, and regaining that inner peace. We are all struggling during this difficult time, remembering you are not alone is important.
Inner peace during the best of times is difficult with everything we have going on in our lives, but now, now that our normal is disrupted, the ways we used to use to relax are no longer available and we need to think outside the box. For me I turned to my art. I learned to draw new things, I tried my hand at pastel paints, I have bought more sketch books, pencils, pens, and paper than ever before in my life. Art is slowly unclenching my jaw and relaxing me and allowing me to claim peace again.
Since the beginning of this pandemic we have been separated from loved ones, we have lost jobs, family members, pets, and it has taken its toll on us. Art has allowed me to find my inner peace again, it has guided me back to a place where my head does not throb, my jaw lets loose, and my mind wanders on the page. I enter what feels like a totally different world. No stress world. I can draw, color, paint, whatever I want. I can be free of this pandemic on the page.
Reading has also helped. It allows me to travel safely to other worlds and not risk my peace or health. It allows me to meet new people, well characters. It allows me time to vacate this pandemic if even for a small time. This time away is precious because it is free of worry, it is free of all the crud in the world right now. It allows me time away when where can I go and be safe right now.
With that said, I love to hike. I love wandering in state parks. I love to go when they open before anyone else is up and before the paths are walked on. I like to see the deer just waking up. The birds chirping high in the trees, the sun rising over the mountain, the trail, the rock, and being done as others enter the parks. I call that social distancing at its best. During this pandemic nature has been a blessing.
Whether you read, hike, work on art, or use any other means to decompress, doing so during this difficult time is important while you are struggling through the pandemic, and struggling to find your inner peace. During this time, I hope you find a way to achieve that inner peace again. Your new normal is now becoming normal but remember to find a new normal to achieve your inner peace and release all the stress during these difficult days.
