COVID-19: Let’s do Better
Shifting perspective from fear and anxiety to health and optimism is key to surviving and even thriving during this COVID pandemic.
COVID-19 has exposed our dysfunctions – dysfunction within ourselves, our relationships, our business, and our government.
What brings on fear and anxiety is mostly the uncertainty of what can happen next. When will the “next shoe drop?”
Dealing well with uncertainty is important for optimal health. Embrace uncertainty.
While my time during COVID hasn’t been perfect – gained 3 pounds before losing 7– I’ve also connected more with my kids and even read books unrelated to prostate or urology.
One of those books is Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. There is no better time to read this type of book.
Frankl, in his masterpiece book, writes about how he survived the Nazi concentration camps as a Jewish man.
Life is about how things compare to other things, or other experiences, whether your own or that of others.
If you think life is bad for you now, imagine being in a concentration camp for four years, through the agony and despair Frankl went through, and then to learn your mother, father, and brother are killed by the Nazi’s as Frankl did.
Meaning, according to Frankl, comes from three things:
- Love
- Purposeful work
- Courage – especially during difficult times
This COVID time is not the time to freeze up out of fear but to act with courage.
There is no better time to get things right in your life, especially your health.
You didn’t choose COVID-19, or your cancer or illness. It just happened. It’s not your fault.
And yes, in hindsight, we all could have done things better. No doubt.
But right now, starting this very second, you can do better for a healthier future so that you can spend more time with those you love. Isn’t that what life is about? Spending more time with those special people in our lives?
You have control of what you put in your mouth, whether or not to exercise and having discipline to sleep better. We can also manage the inputs coming our way – gossip, too much news, and all sorts of unfavorable websites competing for our attention.
Control what you can. And get to work.