Truth in the Time of COVID-19

Hopefully most of us are practicing “social distancing” in an effort to stop the spread of the dreaded Covid-19 virus. For many, that means staying at home, hopefully one that is stockpiled with supplies, and we are hunkering down for the duration.

It’s easy to get stuck up in our heads, searching for information, watching TV or scrolling through our social media feeds for more updates and news about the Corona Virus. It’s easy to get stuck in panic, fear, and the boredom of staying at home, with nowhere to go and very little to do.

It’s during these times that I remember a key factor in my recovery from chronic illness. And it’s one that I look for in my clients who are healing…when I know they are on the right track to recovery. It’s the switch from an “outer locus of control” to an “inner locus of control”.

For people who are chronically ill, the feeling of powerlessness is overwhelming. Symptoms can come and go, seemingly with no warning. We tend to blame symptoms on our outer environment. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the activities we engage in. Bright lights, loud noises, the chaos of the world around us can drive us deeper into symptoms, or illness.

Something remarkable happens when we stop blaming the outer environment, and look more closely at our inner one. We turn our attention back to our relationship with our symptoms, our illness, ourselves. We start to understand that sudden “crashes” aren’t random at all. We start to understand that those precious moments of energy, aren’t random either.  They have a meaning and purpose and a method to their madness. We can understand our symptoms and illness, and we can recover.

Other interesting things start to happen as we turn this “locus of control” this power that is naturally ours, back to ourselves. We start to see the world in terms of truth. We connect to our own truth, our “true north” and from that perspective our understanding of the world around us changes. We start to understand that we are not victims of circumstance. We start to discern truth from lies in ourselves, the people around us, and the world at large. We start to understand that many of us are living lies, or stories we’ve made up, to explain our circumstances or feelings about our lives.

As the individual changes, so does the world. Truth resonates with us like the ringing of a bell, or the beating of a drum. We feel its vibration. It is one of power.

We are not victims of circumstance here. We can spend our time worried, panicked, bored and frustrated, or we can hone in on that truth, and act, from that space of truth. So that what we do with this time becomes worthwhile, time well spent, tuning into the beat of our own drum.

As we do this, it doesn’t mean we retreat into our own world, shut down our internet, TV, and social media feeds. It just means we do this from a space of centeredness, of inner control, of truth. And then we act on that truth, whether it be to go outside for a walk, clean out closets, or watch TV, it really doesn’t matter….it just means we are connecting with and acting on our truth.