I'm posting this, because I want you lovely ladies who have become my community to know that I'm not okay. Every day for the past few days I've been able to control my fear responses to the panic in the world. But not today. It's not out there in the world today, it's in my house. Today I'm having to tell myself every hour not to act our of fear. It's not easy, and I'm starting to really struggle. My husband developed a fever last night. He is sick. The Government isn't testing for Covid 19 unless a person is critical enough to require hospitalisation. So I've no idea if he has that or something else. He's needing looking after, but also needs to be isolated. He has asthma. The 3 children are at home with us as normal. Social Distancing rules have only come into effect this weekend here in the UK, the kids were all still in school on Friday. Our household is now in quarantine for 14 days. Someone from church is being assigned to us for shopping etc. I'm supervising the home school at the moment, and computer sharing. We don't have enough computers for 1 each, and school has the priority. Later I need to scrap something and try and get some sense of equilibrium back.
Oh my gosh, Angela! I can't imagine how you are feeling. Well, actually I can. Hubby is still working and going out into the world, but he's the only one of the four of us who is. I can imagine how I would feel if he started running fever. I'm praying for you and your hubby, for your entire household. And thank goodness for your church family.
Im glad you’ve got support from church and I’ll pray for you too. Here’s something I do when I’m feeling anxious and worrisome. https://brightside.me/inspiration-h...e-stress-with-this-japanese-technique-279110/ While a certain amount of stress in our lives is normal and even necessary, excessive stress can interfere with normal daily activities and take a toll on our personal lives and health. Today we at Bright Side invite you to try an ancient Japanese technique of self-relaxation that will not take you more than 5 minutes and can be done just about anywhere. To practice the technique, it is important to understand that each of the fingers of our hand represents a different feeling or attitude. © FREEPIK Here is the method To harmonize the life energy in the body, grasp the finger with the opposite hand, wrapping all the fingers and thumb around it. Hold each finger for one to two minutes. You will know it’s working when a pulsating sensation is felt. To calm your mind, apply slight pressure in the center of the palm with the thumb of the opposite hand and hold for at least one minute Practice this technique every day to stay calm and re-establish the balance within yourself. also taking a relaxing bath and/or playing hymns or calming music can help.
Hi Angela, I'm sorry you are not okay. Fear is hard, fear of the unknown is even harder! I hope you can find some solace in routine today. I'll pray for you. Please come back later when you get a turn on the computer. Rage, scream, write your fears. We got you in our community. We will do what we can to shore you up from afar. Sending virtual hugs to you.
I'm so sorry Angela. I understand completely. I work in a hospital. All surgeries are cancelled, but I have to show up every day to answer phones. We don't have enough supplies to go around & I'm fighting for 6ft of space. I keep saying I feel like I'm 3rd class on The Titanic, about to go down with the ship. I hate that feeling. I'm a single mom & my senior mom & her diabetic partner are watching the boys while I work. I have a crippling fear I'll carry the bugs to all of them. But, I still have to work to support us. So, I do. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. It's survival mode. Just keep doing the mundane. Just keep going as safely as you can. You'll get through it. We all will. Just be safe & have faith. You always have all of us here for you.
I join these who are compassing you with prayer...for your peace and release from fear (Cast your cares upon Him, for he cares for you.), for your husband’s rapid recovery, for the rest of the family to be spared any symptoms. May His grace and comfort enfold you.
Angela, first, thank you for your transparency. I think it fair to say that many TLP members have dealt with this, at least once. My first dealing with widespread panic was back in the late 80's when hubster was called up for Desert Shield which then became Desert Storm. I was 8 months pregnant at the time. This was the first time we were able to get updated reports all day long- via the media and satelites. NOT necessarily a good thing!! In fact, the calls I did get from hubster revealed that what the press was reporting had many inaccuracies. They did the best they knew, but the forecasted disasters did not happen. I will never forget the day we watched the surrender of hundreds of Iraqi soldiers- voluntarily leaving their positions. Nobody predicted that. See, there are good things ahead too! DH was the supply sargeant for the battalion, and that position created great vulnerability as at that time, the opposition was bombing supply trains. I went to my wives supply meetings, but they we also full of fearful reports. It was through one of those meetings that I learned husband would also be tasked with "mop up" when the conflict ended. (That means dealing with the dead). I also had a 6 year old at home to deal with. I remember that my breathing was labored- near hyperventilating- all day long. I had to learn to face the fears and allow life to go on. I could lose my husband, my best friend, and at that time my source of economic supply. God was good in that he allowed split second timing for DH to get special leave time. He surprised me when he walked through the door! I passed out! DH, DD and I went to the Christmas program at church that night. Water broke an hour after we got home. DS was born a few hours later( FAST delivery!) We brought son home, dedicated him that Sunday, Celebrated Christmas on Monday and DH left on Tuesday. Watching him get on that transport bus was the hardest thing I had done at that point. But he did come home safe and sound. I grew stronger, and learned to deal with fear in a healthier way. It was HARD to learn; I had to begin to walk out my faith. It became more than words on a page. Got a second dose of that lesson this past year when our DS &DIL suddenly became cold and cut us off from our grandkids. Baby was 5 months, Lila 3yrs, and MJ 6 years. We were left alone for all holidays, not allowed to give presents, cards, calls, & blocked from even seeing photos on Facebook. The shock was overwhelming to say the least. We had never imagined this could happen in our family! We learned that it is widespread, and 1 of 3 estranged grandparents attempt suicide, it is so devastating. Again, I had some of that hyper breathing. I had never had a panic attack before this past October. Thinking about the possibility of this situation never changing gave me my first full blown anxiety attack. I had every symptom of a heart attack. A visit to the ER proved otherwise. I sought counseling and also began treating my underactive thyroid. I have learned that the battles of life are fought in the mind. For me, that means I have to activate my faith and starve my fear. Practical ways- things you can DO: 1. you did the first one- you reached out to someone. If you can facetime an encouraging person, do it! 2. Prayer matters. It works! If you call on the Lord, He will hear you. 3. Staying home- you are also doing that. Cleaning your home as best you can. 4. Hugs- hugging the kids, tending to your husband as best you can. 5. Listen to things that can help you focus on positive thoughts. For me, I read Scripture- Psalms is a go to for calming and reassurance. Then it is Graham Cooke podcasts and Steven Furtick's messages. Watch funny videos, movies!! LAUGH!!! A merry heart is like a medicine- it truly is!! Fill your house with some laughter! DON'T: Anticipate the worst- or "borrow sorrow from tomorrow". Each day has enough to deal with! Listen to the news more than once daily- they are reporting opinions and ideas that may or may not be factual, or applicable to your situation. Don't feed the fears. ...forget that you are not alone in this. My husband has asthma, diabetes, and reactive airway disease. I understand your concern. We are praying for you and your husband. I have to do all the above too. I have to starve fear, and not allow it to take root. Fear comes as a thought- like a seed. If I water it by continuing to dwell upon it, it will GROW! I heard someone say "A full grown fear tree aint gonna help nobody." So do what you can, pray if you will, and then live each day- . Prayers and hugs!!!!
Angela. Please take care. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts. Remember that there is always someone in your TLP family to talk with at any tuime of the day. Someone will be up. Just come back here and we will keep you company.
Hugs to you. It's a scary time right now. I think we are all panicked to some extent, I know I am. Try to take a few moments here and there to focus on slow even breathing, close your eyes, clear your mind of thoughts, even for a minute, it is helpful in centering ourselves, quieting the stress triggers in our body. I've had to do this often throughout the day as I've got a high risk hubby and granddaughter, plus other high risk family members. I'm so scared for all of them. Talk to us, get it out in a LO, go for a walk, do some exercises at home, put on the radio and sing/dance around, watch a comedy, read an inspirational book. It's so important for us all to find ways to cope right now. Again, hugs and sending healthy prayers to your family.
Virtual hugs to you, Angela. I hope your husband recovers quickly and that you are not dealing with covid-19. Take care of yourself and your family.
Hey Angela, I can relate to you...Here in Brazil the Government isn't testing for Covid 19 unless a person is critical enough to require hospitalisation, and this is insane because we need to know if we have or not it! Here we are in quarentine, but everyone in my house had "flu" syntoms...My oldest daughter was at the hospital and she was supposedly diagnosed with the coronavirus because she had all the symptoms, but they could not be tested on her because she is not in the risk group... I'm sick for 2 weeks now, but without fever they refuse to test me, only if I get worse. All my family is getting better now, thanks God! At the 1st days I literally freaked out! Had panic attack, had hyperventilation every time I thought I had the covid and not a normal flu, but it didn’t lead me to anything but despair, so I decided to relax, pray and stay positive, so the panic wouldn’t control me at all! I'm working a lot to occupy my head, taking the opportunity to make order around the house and watching films that before I had no time to see! Scrap Therapy -try to scrap about this, it's an excellent therapy! Many sites and apps are offering free courses and classes! Take advantage of it! Udemy/Domestika/ is also offering dozens of free courses for the quarantine period, in the areas of Communication, Business, Programming, Marketing, Behavior, Sales, among others. To find the options, just search, open the search filters and select the option “Free”. Many parents are seeking out online resources, apps and games to keep their kids' minds engaged at home. Learn how to doodle Children’s author Mo Willems is live-streaming a doodle tutorial each weekday during the coronavirus outbreak. You can watch the doodle tutorials live at 1 p.m. ET on the Kennedy Center website. Virtual story time Penguin Random House Canada is offering free access to virtual story time and sing-alongs for kids. The sing-alongs are on YouTube while the readings usually take place on Facebook Live and Instagram Live. Most are for young children. Times vary. Mo Willems, the Brooklyn-based artist and author of much-loved stories like Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny, and all the adventures of Elephant and Piggie is teaching a lunchtime art class on YouTube. Want to hear Viola Davis read Rent Party Jazz? What about Mary Steenburgen's rendition of Strega Nona? Storyline Online, a program supported by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation features free videos of celebrities reading beloved children's stories. For each book Storyline also includes a teacher's guide to further learning. And Oliver Jeffers, the artist behind popular books like The Day the Crayons Quit and The Great Paper Caper is also reading his works on Instagram Live. Sesame Street It's a classic for a reason. If your kids are still enamored of Elmo, Grover, and the rest of the Sesame Street crew, you should feel no reluctance about cueing up an episode or two. Several full shows are currently available on the PBS Kids website, and more clips are streaming on the official Sesame Street website, and on YouTube. If your youngster is more of a Daniel Tiger kind of kid, episodes of his adventures are also available online. Take a tour of an art museum online. Cultural institutions from art museums to symphonies, and theaters around the world are shutting down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and taking their art online. Here's an updated list of all the artistic experiences you and your kids can take in from the comfort of your couch. Fitness companies are offering free online workouts during coronavirus quarantine: The Daily Burn,Peloton, Core Power Yoga- The studio has put together a collection of free classes available anytime, on demand here. Classes vary in length. 305 Fitness Known for making cardio a raging dance party, 305 Fitness has about 20 free classes on its YouTube channel while its studios are closed. YouTuber Yoga with Adriene has a few videos like the one below, for yogis of all ages. Have you ever wanted to say you’ve taken an Ivy League course? All eight of the schools making up the prestigious Ivy League – Harvard, Yale, Princeton , Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Dartmouth and Columbia -- offer online classes to the public for free. The offerings include courses in computer science, mathematics, business, education, humanities, art & design, engineering and more. Shudder To watch some non-coronavirus horror, check out Shudder. The horror-movie streaming service has extended its free trial period to 30 days. Use the code SHUTIN. I hope this list cheer you up and make you feel calmer!!! Sending prayers on your way and healing vibrations for your husband!
@paula kesselring , @Angela Toucan & everybody- found the link to what Paula was referencing regarding free courses; HERE
Hang in there everyone!!! And yes, create something to express your negative thoughts. I find that helps me define them and then put them away and let positive ones replace them. And please share it here. We love you.
Thanks for this. i keep telling my daughter this is unprecedented. I have certainly never lived through anything quite like this. Sending hugs and prayers and thanks again to this community.