Contributed by Tammy-Lee Moore.

Health has become a global concern.  Many of us are overwhelmed by the rapid changes occurring each day with new information on Covid-19 happening almost hourly.

We’ve all learned about hand washing, disinfecting, physical distancing (at least 6 feet apart) and the need to stay home.  This has been and continues to be the gold standard to help stop this virus in its tracks.  What I wonder is, have we been allowing ourselves to be so overwhelmed with the fears, changes and information overload that we are living in a state of anxiety and/or depression and been allowing our immune systems to be compromised?

While we can not control what is happening in the world around us, we can put some of our energy into focusing on what we can do to help ourselves feel better and improve our immune systems which in turn will help us stay healthier during this corona virus pandemic and beyond it.

There are two very important areas to put our focus on right now. HOPE and HAPPINESS.  I know many will look at those two words and think, “Yeah right.  How am I supposed to feel hope and happiness in this shit storm that is happening worldwide?”  The answer to that question is moment by moment and small action by small action.

At first glance, HOPE seems like a nebulous concept.  You keep thinking, “I hope things get better”, “I hope this pandemic ends soon”. Yet those thoughts don’t make you feel any better.  So how in the world is HOPE supposed to help me?

Once again, the answer is moment by moment and small action by small action.  Did you notice that your thoughts on HOPE were general and evoked no feelings?  Did you notice that there was no action involved in the thought? I bet you only thought those hopeful thoughts once!

Moment by moment means that you need to address what you are feeling moment by moment and take a small action in those moments to help yourself feel better.  For some of us, we need to do small actions frequently and regularly throughout the day to keep ourselves from spiraling into a pit of despair.

Let’s take the first thought of “I hope things get better” and turn it into a small action.  Grab a pen and paper and write out “I hope things get better” at the top.  Now take a few deep breaths to relax and then write down what things you hope get better.  Write as many as you can.  Once you have your list, take the first item, read it, then close your eyes and take a few deep breaths and then imagine in your mind that this item is better. Let’s say your item is being able earn and income from home.  What does working from home feel like?  What does it look like? What are you doing? What do you smell? How does your body feel? Get as many details in your mind as you can.  Then do the same thing for every item on your list.

Once you have finished imagining all the items on your list, how do you feel? What thoughts are flowing through your mind now?  I bet you are feeling uplifted and hopeful and even thinking about what small action you can take right now to help move you toward improving these items on your list.  This is the powerful force of HOPE.  Just this small action has improved how you feel mentally, physically and emotionally and boosted your immunity.  Each time you find yourself feeling hopeless, take one of the items on your list and do the imagining process and help yourself harness the power of HOPE.

HAPPINESS is a concept that many of us find confusing.  Is it a destination? A journey? A feeling? A state of mind?  The answer is yes.  Happiness is all those things.  The role HAPPINESS plays in health is more vital than many of us can imagine.  Like HOPE, HAPPINESS is a powerful force that we can use to help us improve our immunity, thus improving our health.

I bet you are thinking “That’s nice, but how can I feel happiness when my whole life has crumbled around me?”  And again, I answer, moment by moment and small action by small action (are you sensing a theme here?)

Even during the darkest times, we can find moments of HAPPINESS by practicing gratitude.  And now you are rolling your eyes at me and thinking “Gratitude, are you crazy? I’ve lost everything and you expect me to be grateful for that?”  Of course, I don’t expect you to be grateful for losing everything.  What I am suggesting is to take your focus off what you have lost and put it on what you still have.  When you are grateful for every little thing you have, moments of happiness arise.

Grab that pen and paper again.  At the top write “I am grateful for” and then list every little thing you can think of.  Even the fact that you can take a deep breath in and release it is something to be grateful for. Do you have food to eat and water to drink?  Do you have a roof over your head?  Do you have internet access? Do you have a bed to sleep in? Do you have family and friends? Do you have a loving pet? Can you stand up? Can you walk? Do you have clothes to wear? Do you have a voice to speak or sing with? Do you have crayons to colour with?  These are very simple and basic things to be grateful for.  I bet you could come up with many, many more.

Once you have your list, I want you to read each item out loud beginning with “I am grateful for…”  For example, “I am grateful for the ability to breathe deeply.”  I suggest that you do this twice a day, every day.  If you find yourself feeling unhappy during the day, grab your list and read it again.  While you may not feel happiness immediately after doing this, you will begin to find yourself having moments of happiness as you continue to focus on what you are grateful for.  As any activity or sport, this takes time and practise. Your health is well worth it! You will also find that the more you practice gratitude, the more you will have to be grateful for. This provides even more opportunities for moments of happiness to improve your immunity.

Using the power of HOPE puts our focus on what is possible and increases our strength of purpose for our lives.  A daily gratitude practice puts our focus on all that we already have which ignites the power of HAPPINESS.  With our energy being focused on HOPE and HAPPINESS we are igniting the power of our immune systems which will create and support our HEALTH.  I wish you all, HOPE, HAPPINESS and HEALTH.

BIO – 

Tammy-Lee Moore is an empath, writer, intuitive coach and a recovering people pleaser.  After leaving the corporate world, she began a journey of creative recovery and self discovery.  Today, the journey continues, and she invites you to join her and begin your own recovery and self discovery.  She can be reached at tammylee@wakingthecreativesoul.com.