Although it may not feel like it right now, I do believe that we all have a choice. The choices may be limited but we still have a choice. As we navigate our way round the COVID-19 virus and all that it brings, all the changes in life that have come about because of this and how we go about our daily activities or not in some cases.
Like many people, I have been frustrated about the lock down and the lack of opportunities to meet with family and friends, to socialise, to go on holiday, the list is endless. But in all of this I remember that I do have a choice. On the days when the frustration kicks in, I tell myself “What will this frustration do for me, will it help?”. Of course, it will not. So, I need to get myself focused and choose to be positive about the day, about the future and where it will take me, plan small steps for the day and stop any of the negativity playing in my head.
I seek enjoyment and pleasure in the small things such as walking. Fortunately, I can leave the house and have a daily walk around the village where I live. I do my best to find different routes or take a walk up a street I have never walked before and sometimes I find it’s a dead end but now I know. Choosing to smile and say Hi to people I have do not know and most of the time, not always, they smile and say Hello back. Do I react negatively to those who choose not to reply….I do not. Why? Because that is their choice not to speak or they have just not noticed me.
In the very early days of my counselling skills training, I remember discussing why someone may “ignore” you. Quite often, it is not that they have ignored you but that they have been occupied with whatever is going on in their lives or talking on the phone or that they just did not see you. So how we respond is important, remember you can choose how you respond. You can feel uptight, feel hurt or you can say to yourself, they didn’t see me.
When you are next out having your walk, socially distancing of course, and in a situation where you are not required to wear a mask, then smile at someone and more often than not, they will smile back, say Hi to someone and they will normally say Hi to you. There are people in the village who I don’t know but who now give me a wave or we pass a few words as we walk on opposite sides of the road. I hope I am bringing a moment of positivity to the other person’s life. Remember, you may be the only person that they interact with that day.
Notice how you feel as you smile and they smile back. Our bodies start to produce all of those little feel-good chemicals and it feeds our soul and helps to improve our mental well-being. Remember the law of attraction, we attract what we put out but let’s leave that for another time.
What will your choice be?