Be kind.

Be kind. That’s my sentiment right now.

I have SO many thoughts and feelings as I witness what is happening across the world. But, I continue to gravitate to kindness. Empathy. Understanding. Love. We need to be taking care of each other right now. We are all experiencing different emotions - anxiety, anger, fear, confusion, helplessness, I could go on. My point being, we all react differently to situations like this. This is unchartered territory for all of us and we need to recognize that. Accept what we are feeling. I’m someone who tends to internalize my thoughts first. I like to gather as much information as I can and then determine what actions I need to take. In this current situation, this is causing me a ton of anxiety I didn’t even know I had. Consuming information like drinking from a fire hose maybe isn’t the best response for me. I find myself constantly refreshing my phone for the latest news updates. Trying to get as much information as I can, creating even more anxiety. I also understand I’ll be ok. I’m fortunate enough to to be healthy, can afford to miss work, have a strong support system. But there are so many people out there who are not in this situation. Knowing this gives me more anxiety.

What will the impact of this be? Who knows, but what I do know is we need to be kind to each other. Support each other in what ever that looks like. Be understanding. Be patient. Be smart. Take precautions, not just for you, but for others. Support small businesses, non profits, do your part. It’s times like these we see what we’re made of.