Garbage in, Garbage out

When the first case of a coronavirus patient was announced in my country, I suddenly became anxious about the reality of the pandemic having hit closer home.

I went on a panic-cleaning spree in my house. Mixing all sorts of detergents that I could get my hands on, cleaning every surface area at reach; right from the floors, tables, door knobs, window panes you name it. Then I started over reading about the virus in various social media platforms; what was happening around the world, how people were getting infected, the number of deaths occurring each day, the despair that people felt, how to protect yourself etc.

I engaged in various social media posts where people posted all manner of information most of which was unverified or personal opinion of the corona virus , which was just terrifying to say the least. For several days I did not sleep well because of the imagery that I had created in my mind from accessing all the panic inducing information. As a result, I went into a complete shutdown and my mind stopped thinking and focusing on what was important in my life like work and family. I stopped working or thinking on the next steps that my business should take in the midst of this pandemic.

For several days, I allowed fear to paralyse me.

One day, I came to the realisation that I had allowed my mind to be preoccupied with “garbage” and this affected my productivity and my sense of reasoning. I had to bring myself to a new space and acknowledge that, filling myself with panic and unverified information was not healthy.

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You know what they say, garbage in, garbage out.

It was then that I resolved to making a personal decision to stay clear off “garbage” and focus on the positive aspects of my life. I started appreciating the environment around me more. I noticed the calmness during the day due to low traffic flow and at night I enjoyed the comfort of the stillness of the dark. My appreciation of the people within my circle grew and I let them know as much. I chose to spend more time with my child and enjoyed it tremendously.

I took a minute and looked at my life from a new perspective and with it a new fire ignited within me to strive ahead. I reaffirmed my relationship with God and relied on his word to get by. I sieved all the information that I was feeding myself and became deliberate in search of the knowledge that I needed. I blocked links from my social media accounts which were not productive and I set out on a healthy plan on how to live, love and work in the midst of the pandemic.

For the first time during the pandemic, I felt I was in control of my life.

So, what is it that you are feeding your mind during this unprecedented times?

You have to be very purposeful of that which you allow to get inside your mind. Remember, there is life after the corona virus. You must live as if you will survive because you will. We must keep our hope alive.

Be selective with the kind of news that you are watching, the type of media forwards that you are receiving and the type of activities that you are indulging in during this lock down. What you feed your mind, grows, and it will manifest itself in ways that you will either have control over or not.

You get to choose.

Watch out for our next post. We will talk about some healthy habits that you can choose to do during this lock down while focusing on your business or work.