QUARANTINE AND WELLNESS
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
According to the Oxford dictionary, quarantine is defined as a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to the infectious or contagious disease are placed. As a result of the Coronavirus, most people have been at home, with only essential workers going to work, and many have been finding it difficult to locate items like toilet tissue, sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer, face masks, etc. We have been advised to social distance from others and practice proper handwashing methods. Many people are fighting for their lives and unfortunately, many have lost the fight.
Quarantining is a safety measure that I fully intend to continue adhering to even as restrictions have been lifted in the state of Georgia. Quarantine has impacted us in ways we did not expect and forced people to change the way that they do a variety of things. The purpose of this blog is to tell you some things I have been doing and would like to continue to implement during and after quarantine for my spiritual wellness.
I was scrolling on Facebook and came across a post from my church, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, which spelled out the word quarantine, defining what each letter stood for. While I incorporated some of the concepts from the post, I personalized it for myself. I encourage you to personalize it for you also. I’ve found that arriving at my own conclusion serves me best. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to life and coping with situations like this because we were each created with distinct uniqueness. Never dim your light for fear of what others will believe or say. Allow your light to shine, and shine bright.
Q-Quiet your mind
I’ve been quieting my mind by being still. I have been giving myself the opportunity to process my thoughts. I have been writing my thoughts down. Half of the battle is getting the thoughts out of my head and onto paper. Writing the vision down and making it plain is imperative. I’m looking forward to implementing guided meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises to quiet my mind when the noise becomes too loud.
U-Unite as one with God
I’ve been uniting as one with God through daily Bible plan readings and writing in my prayer journal. While reading my daily Bible plans, I also take notes. On Easter Sunday, I listened to a few of my favorite pastor’s live streams across the world. I’ve been planning on fasting here in the near future. I have yet to decide what I will fast from. I choose to fast to become closer to God, receive direction, and gain clarity.
A-Act with Godly love
I’ve been acting with Godly love by praying for everyone impacted by the Coronavirus nightly, whether I know them or not. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer. I also have had the pleasure to uplift others via social media posts that inspire, empower, and spread positivity, love, and light. I’ve been doing this well before the pandemic, yet I’ve been trying to do it more often because it’s needed around the world.
R-Read your Bible
I need to read my bible more often. While I read the scriptures, which accompany the daily Bible plans, I need to do it more. In the past, I have done various Bible challenges. For the month of May, I am going to commit to the 31 Day Proverbs challenge. I am a few days behind as I haven’t started yet, but I won’t beat myself up because I haven’t started. Instead, I will use that energy to ensure that I remain committed and finish strong.
www.courageouschristianfather.com
A-Activate your faith
Our faith is only strong when activated. As the saying goes, “faith without works is dead”. Our faith is always tested because fear doesn’t discriminate; it knocks on all of our doors. In activating our faith, we can manage our fears. Our faith is what will give us the strength to endure with courage. Faith believes when the naked eye cannot see. We currently cannot see the germs which are currently spreading the virus, yet we know that the virus is real and that the worst outcome is death. What better time to activate your faith than now?
N-Nourish your relationships
I’ve been extremely committed to nourishing my relationships with my family, both biological and my friends who became family, during quarantine with more frequent phone calls, random text messages, interactive webinars, etc. I’ve been showering my daughter with love with more hugs, kisses, stories, extended playtime, family time, and home-cooked meals. I am not counting the time while on the phone, yet I’m being fully present so that I may enjoy the moment. I recently had a blast on our She Wins Society Virtual Game night. I laughed and smiled so much to the point that my cheeks were sore.
T-Talk with God
I enjoy talking with God daily, both in my prayer journal and verbally. Just a little talk with Jesus makes everything alright. It’s impossible to trust God if I don’t talk to him. When things are good I talk with Jesus, when things are bad I talk with Jesus. I talk with God so that I can release everything to him. I talk with him to invite him into my daily activities of living. I talk with him to express gratitude. I talk with him to express my troubles. I ask him to continue to provide for me and my daughter during these times of uncertainty. I ask him to protect our home, our vehicle, our comings and our goings, etc.
I-Intimacy with self
I have been doing an assessment of self; my likes, dislikes, goals, dreams, and aspirations. I had the pleasure of listening to a poetry webinar this weekend and it was phenomenal. It brought me back to my love for writing poetry. The first two books I wrote were books of poetry. I would love to begin writing poetry again but in order to do that. I must make it a priority. It is important to conduct a self-assessment periodically as we are always evolving. I am not the same person I was at 21, 25, or even a year ago. I must remain true to myself at all times. It doesn’t matter if I lose anyone else because it is imperative that I do not lose myself.
N-Nap without guilt
I’ve been strategically focusing on resting without guilt. While the world has slowed down, my to-do list has gotten longer because I have so many things I want to accomplish. I am an ingenuitive being. I love to create. I love to check things off of my to-do list. This mindset leaves very little time for rest. I have been able to incorporate naps some days or go to bed early simply because I was tired. I’m now listening to my body when it tells me that I need to rest. Sure, I can do things while physically tired. However, I won’t be doing them to the best of my ability because I’ve exhausted my fuel and am running on fumes. Rest allows my cup to overflow so that I can pour whenever necessary. Pouring into others is an integral part of my purpose, but does not negate the need to rest guilt-free. Rest does not need to be justified, only honored. Rest allows me to tap into God’s peace.
E-Elevate God in worship
I love music, so I love to elevate God through worship music. When I was commuting to work each morning, I would listen to my favorite gospel songs via Pandora. I still listen to gospel music on Sunday. I’ve found that since quarantine, I have not been listening to music much, especially my gospel music. I’m going to make it a habit to begin implementing gospel music as one way to elevate God through worship with music. Worship is not confined to music, but it’s one of my favorite ways to worship and elevate God.
I encourage you to use this time while quarantining and social distancing to focus on your overall wellness in the areas you deem important. The opposite of wellness is illness. While our physical health is at the forefront of our minds, we cannot neglect our mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, and social wellness. Each aspect of wellness, while different, all are intertwined. To avoid getting overwhelmed, I suggest choosing a day of the week to focus on a different area of wellness. You can use my schedule as an example. See below.
