Focus on what you can control to keep you grounded

A couple of days ago, I was looking at the backyard and I realized that the peach tree was already blooming. 

The small pink and white flowers are now all over the previously bare branches. The tree no longer looks like dead twigs ready for the fire. 

Also, once again, the family of doves is back at the pergola… my husband and I joke that they should be paying rent since they come back every year…

It’s so nice to see them preparing their nest under the pergola, picking up the little twigs, accumulating them and then just staying there until the chicks hatch. 

This year, two little birds came out. We were able to see them growing until they are now able to get out of the nest and fly around the backyard.

Mama dove goes around with them feeding them and protecting them from strangers (us…). The other day, the dove was going towards my husband because he got out to the backyard while the two young birds were out of the nest…and mama dove was not happy!

Anyway, why is it that I’m all about the doves, the baby chicks and the blossoming of the peach tree? 

Well, I thought that maybe you didn't notice, because if you were like me, stressed out with all that is happening in the world with this Coronavirus, maybe you missed the fact that we are now in Spring… 

We have passed the winter and Spring is officially here! 

And why would that be important you might ask again? 

It’s important because I want to remind you what spring signifies. 

When spring arrives we feel our spirits lifted, the days start to be longer, the trees start blooming, the birds start hatching, life sprouts everywhere. You feel the need to do spring cleaning (mine is scheduled for this coming weekend…), you feel lighter after the winter is gone and you feel more adventurous wanting to try new things…

But at this time, when the world is facing a completely new situation with this pandemic, when we are forced out of our normal life, it’s crucial to remember that spring is here.

It’s vital to bring some of the spring lightness into your day to day. Take the spirit of spring and create something new. To use the season to grow and stretch. To focus on this season to keep your mind sane…

How can you use spring to grow and stretch and to keep you sane?

One of the most important things you can do to deal with what’s around you, if you want to avoid stress and anxiety slowly creeping into your mind, is to FOCUS ON the THINGS that you CAN CONTROL.

Make sure that you have daily routines which keep you grounded and give you some sense of normalcy back into your life.

Remember, what are some of the things you used to do when spring arrives? Do you get into spring cleaning? Do you organize your closet and store winter items? Do you take on some new courses? Do you plant new seeds or work in your yard? Do you spruce up the paint in your house? 

What do you normally do when spring arrives? 

My suggestion to you is that you keep some of those routines and get on with them. Don't let the current circumstances modify your normal plan. 

And of course, I’m not saying that you should not be following the current mandates to keep this virus from spreading, please stay at home!

All I suggest is that you choose some of your normal spring routines and add them to your calendar. Do something that you can control.

Keep yourself busy with something that you can do and gives you satisfaction. Because I bet you probably could use some type of distraction…I know I do…

So go ahead, schedule the spring cleaning in your calendar!

Besides doing something that’s part of your spring routine to keep your sanity, the other thing you can focus on this new season is growing into a new you. Why don't you use this time also to do something for yourself? Why don't you plan on using this time to grow into a better you? 

Spring is the season for growth. For getting rid of the old and welcoming the new. 

So, what are you doing this season to grow? What are you getting rid of? What is something new that you can welcome into your life? 

Don't let the current circumstances creep into your life without check.

Make sure you are in control of your days, that you choose how to spend the hours and you use them to do something that will move you forward towards your plans. 

Or, if you don't have plans about who you want to become, why not start envisioning your future self and put a plan together to get there? 

Either way, don't let the current environment slow down your growth.

Don't get sucked in with all the media, constant feed on social media, continuous scroll of news and posts… Think instead of how could you use an hour of your time to learn something you always wanted to? What can you read? What podcast can you listen to? What videos or courses can you watch? 

You are in control of what you choose to see, listen and read. You control where you attention goes.

Why don't you make your time worthwhile? Why don't you feed your dreams instead of your fear and anxiety? 

Tell me, how are you going to bloom this season? What will you do to feed your dreams? What are some actions you could take that will get you closer to whom you want to be? What can you stop doing that will give you an hour a day to learn something new?

What will you do this spring? How can you use this season to get better and flourish? 

Let me know below, I’d love to hear from you! Stay at home and grow! 

xoxo,

Sofia