For the Love of…Kindness in the Time of Covid-19

 

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I was going to continue my writing resources series of posts, but I can pick that up next time. Today I want to address what we’re all talking about, thinking about. Covid-19

We have entered unique and scary times, but there are things we can do to help mitigate the fear; for ourselves, for our families, and for the strangers we encounter as we seek to weather this storm of indeterminate length. I suggest that we keep our minds and hearts looking to kindness as the answer.

Be Kind to Your Mind

Fear, and the unknown that can generate it, are crippling. It’s easy to get your mind bogged down in “what ifs” that lead to fear then lead to panic until all you can think about is worse case scenarios until you’re paralyzed. So what to do?

Exercise Your Mind With Reading

This is a great time to load up your e-reader and let yourself enter the worlds awaiting you. So many of my writer friends are putting their ebooks on sale; buy them up and read the funny, sweet, sexy, fantastical, out-of-this-world stories available.

FYI: Lyon’s Roar Kindle is on sale for .99 right now, and I’m probably going to reduce the whole series to .99 per book while we all deal with this.

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Exercise Your Mind With Games, Puzzles

 Crossword, Sudoku, Mai-Jong. Whatever your predilection, brain-teasers are a fantastic way to work your mind and take a break from the news. Are your children home from school? There are so many games and crafts you can do with them, so many can be found online if your brain is exhausted from the NYT crossword puzzle you no undoubtedly did in record time, in ink. Right?

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Be Kind To Your Body

As the stress builds, our bodies suffer. Self-care becomes critical.

Exercise Good Eating

 Eating healthy will be one of the several defenses you can erect against the stress and potential exposure to Covid-19. Fruits and vegetables may be easily perishable, but most can be frozen and stored. If you’re struggling to find fresh, consider starting your own garden to provide the fresh food you and your family need. If you grow more than you need, share with a food bank or your neighbors. If gardening isn’t your thing, find local farmers, either through a farmer’s market (if they’re still holding them) or just pick up the computer and search them out.

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If you’re having trouble buying meat, there are many non-meat sources of protein. You can research vegetarian or vegan websites to learn more about it.

Exercise Your Body

 Can’t hit the gym? Many facilities have online classes starting up. Missing yoga? You can find subscriptions to yoga classes online or through your television. Have a bicycle? Hit the road and get that heart rate up while enjoying the coming spring. You can take your whole family on a walk through your neighborhood, on a walking trail, on a treadmill. Whatever you do, keep moving!

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Exercise Your Pet

Ideally, you can play with your dog/s in your yard, or take them on your walk, but if the weather isn’t cooperating or the dog park is closed, there are so many brain games you can play with your dog/s. My favorite is “Find It”. I ask my dog to sit and stay while I go hide a toy or a treat (whatever gets your dog/s fired up the most). Then ask them to find it and celebrate when they do. If that’s no fun, there are a ton of games you can find online. No matter the stress you feel, spending time with your dog or cat or whatever pet you have will be a wonderful stress reliever for you both.

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Be Kind To Everyone You Encounter

Smile and Say Thank You

Of all the things you can do, being kind to those people you do encounter is most important. People are worried, people are scared; about their health and the health of their loved ones, about their jobs, and if they can pay their bills. Essential personnel like the folks at your grocery store, the pharmacist, doctors and nurses, your veterinarian; they are slammed. They have the same personal concerns you do, but they have to risk getting sick to meet our needs.

Your family members, your children, are facing a new unknown and a new routine. While I’m not advocating you be a Pollyanna, we need to find joy in the little things and share that with the world. I was able to get some toilet paper today. That was a joyous moment that I shared with everyone I passed in the big box store today. Every employee I saw, I gave them a big smile and said “thank you for being here”. The cashiers smiled back and thanked me for being kind and acknowledging the chaos they’re contending with every day.

So take the time to smile. Take the time to thank all of the people keeping the doors open and the lights on so we can get food and household items and dog food.

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Just smile!

 

May your words flow freely, may you and yours remain healthy,

Artemis

 

Artemis Crow

www.artemiscrow.com

The Zodiac Assassins series

Available on Amazon Kindle and Print, Nook and Kobo

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Lyon’s Roar – https://amzn.to/2IB




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Leona’s Descent – https://amzn.to/2yaDfjW




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Libra’s Limbo – https://amzn.to/2q3VkNg




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Leona’s Cage – https://amzn.to/2QTbVyp

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Gemini Asunder  – https://amzn.to/2PyNUig