It's natural to feel the need to control something when everything around you feels out of control, and you feel helpless. When a friend of mine first heard about the coronavirus outbreak, she got down on her hands and knees and cleaned her kitchen floor. She told me," My floor wasn't even dirty, but doing something constructive made me feel in control and that I was holding on to my power, despite the desperate circumstances."
Your most powerful weapon against uncertainty is your perspective because nobody and no situation can take that from you unless you give it away. Your perspective can victimize or empower you. When you look for the upside in a downside situation and figure out what you can control and what you can't, it's easier to accept whatever is beyond your control.
Small gestures during hard times gentle worry and concern. Often during emergencies and crises, people start performing acts of kindness at random. Helping others through a crisis by performing good deeds can make you feel in control. The obvious benefit when you reach out to help someone else is that you get a break from your own worries for a while. Contributing, giving, volunteering, donating and performing kind acts, no matter how small or brief, connect you to other people (and animals) in a deeply meaningful, humane way. So practice doing small gestures for others and yourself.
Positive action is supposed to be taken to ensure you a sense of control. Make "cans" out of "cannots" and focus on what you can control. Take advantage of this restrictive time to clear clutter out of your basement, pull weeds in the garden, organize drawers, closets, and bookshelves, or get caught up on fun hobbies you've neglected for a while. Focus on a thought, person, pet, or object that stir hope and positivity within you. Hope always exists alongside of despair.
