Chaos clicks

Not a soul in sight

On vacation, I read my paper every morning in this bustling coffee shop in Florida. But today, I’m the only one here.

First the spring training games were canceled, then schools closed, restaurants…and of course the stock market. So, like many people, we’re cutting vacation short.

This is clearly a time of heightened anxiety, but NOT irrational fear. A certain amount of fear is sensible–but as I told my kids (who just cancelled flights to join us in Florida), it’s also not a time to panic.

It’s ok, allow yourself to feel anxious–I sure do! Then I remind myself that we’ve have been through many horrible situations before and we will get through this one. In situations like this, information is a blessing, but it can be a curse, too. Too much causes panic, so I advised my kids to please limit your time on the phone. (Easy to say but extremely hard to do.)

When you grab your device, close your eyes and breath for a minute. Then don’t look. Allow yourself twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon for a few minutes only. Once we get through this coronavirus situation, that habit will relieve many anxieties.

Communicating with friends and family feeds us and keeps us emotionally healthy. But endless videos of chaos, uncertainty, and illness only fuels our worst imaginings. So limit the number of ‘chaos clicks’ you endure every day and you’ll feel better.

Be well,

-Brian