We have often heard this from our motivational as well as spiritual gurus that “everything begins with you “. I would like to quote Mahatma Gandhi here, “Be the change you wish to see in others”.
In this time of pandemic, it becomes all the more essential, that we take charge of ourselves. Not just physically but also emotionally.
We need to take charge of the situation and be responsible not only for ourselves but also others.
Let’s first define emotional contagion! In layman’s language or the most simplest example of contagion that I can think of is the typical example of yawning. When one person yawns in a room, we soon find others also picking up on it and yawns too. Thus for Emotional Contagion, we can say that whatever we think or say, gets delivered to others and they start thinking, feeling, behaving in the same way as we do. What seems to be more of an emotional contagion during any pandemic is a sense of fear, anxiety and anger due to uncertainties. All these add up to creating lot of day-to-day stress. Thus I feel that CO-VID 19 or for that matter any pandemic is more of a mental fight. When we talk about a pandemic, we already have lot of negativity around us, in the form of news, advices or warnings which affects us directly or indirectly.
So, in times of pandemic, there are certain things we need to take care of, so that it doesn’t harm us in the long run.
1st of all, it is essential that we take care of our thoughts as thoughts, words and actions are all linked. what we think and what we speak is something that we must take immediate charge of. As what we speak affects others, so we need to make sure to say something valuable and positive.
Second, if someone shares something with us and we find that it is negatively affecting their emotional health ? Then 1st and the foremost thing is to make the other person aware of his fearful thoughts, try if they are in your close contacts to find the solution of the problem and also make him/ her understand how his/ her thoughts can impact others.
But just in case if we find that the person does not want to listen, then what can we do? Here, it becomes essential for us to understand the type of environment and situation the other person is in. It’s not easy to change other people’s mindset by just lecturing. In this situation we need to calm down and stay positive instead of having their thoughts affect us. Try and understand what is it that the other person is expecting from us. Sometimes, they are not looking for any solution but all they need is someone to listen to. Thus assessment of the situation is important.
Third, if we read something on social media or hear something from someone and we are having a deep desire to do something about it or
take action, then it’s essential that one should first find about the authenticity of the news. i.e. we should abstain from forwarding anything to others during pandemic.
Fourth, always talk about the positive aspects of the life by expressing gratitude or rather what can be done instead of the cant’s. We should avoid being the cause of spreading negativity or allow people to do the same by creating some boundaries.
Fifth, what if one finds oneself to be overthinking specially negative emotions /thoughts? Then, we should ask ourself, will overthinking make any positive difference , will it help in any way, will it do any good, if the answer is NO, then we must engage ourself in some creative work inorder to distract or keep one’s mind creatively engaged.
As we say, every drop counts, so even if we take a single step, it will be helpful in creating worldwide peace and happiness in times of pandemic.
Thus, not every time we have to do something ‘Big’ to create a difference in other’s lives. When the time gets rough, even simple and single steps add to our ultimate goal of peace and prosperity.
