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Hello, everybody. It has been a while, and I know that it's just about time that we finally talk about what has been going on with the Corona virus, a k A. Cove in 19. It is such a crazy time to be alive right now. People have been rescheduling things. Restaurants have been closing down, businesses are closing down, stores are closing down. Even the mall, I think, is closing down. I've gotten so many e mails on what businesses air doing to stay safe, what businesses air doing for themselves, what I need to do for myself. And I found myself a couple days ago just being so filled with anxiety that I really didn't know what to do. Like it felt. It has felt kind of hopeless, and it just and now that it's raining, I feel like it doesn't feel much better. But it just felt really like the world was turned upside down. I had to keep telling myself like, This is not a dream toe wake up from, but you have probably done your research. I have not done my research. I am avoiding the news and all types of resurgent, and he costs but I think we need to talk about ways that we can work through this ways that we can deal with this and then ways that we can keep ourselves from mentally, I don't know, going crazy. So let's talk about it. Hey, guys, I'm a lawyer, Michelle, and you're listening to the align with the Laura podcast. This podcast is about motivation and finding your purpose for all you thriving creatives out there because I strongly believe you don't have to constantly hustle to grow and pursue your wildest dreams. So each week we're gonna be having conversations about things that matter most like motherhood, our faith, photography business and just plain real life. I want to share all the mistakes that I've made because I want you to know that I've been there before and you can totally grow and pursue in your wildest dreams. I'm so glad you're here with me today, friend. Here's today's episode. Okay, so if you know that I have been on a social media break for the past three weeks now I have been and I did check in a little bit on Instagram just kind of update my bride's on what's going on and what we do to push forward because it's been pretty crazy for us photographers. We've had clients cancel. We've had clients reschedule a year in advance, and everyone's moving their dates, and it just seems like pandemonium over here. But I want to kind of address kind of from aspects of everyone. Like this isn't just for photographers or entrepreneurs. This is for everybody. How are we gonna deal with this? And how are we gonna fix this with ourselves, right? It starts with us. We are kind of like the head chief. So when you have kind of a hold on your own mental strength and your mental clarity, it seems to calm everything down in your mind. And that kind of affects everything else around you. We affect everything else around us. So the first thing that I would say if you just feel like you are just going into information overload and you just kind of feel like you're cycling in this in this worst case scenario And what if first step, I would say it is to take it breath right? Just breathe. Take a deep breath. Okay. Did you notice that you are alive. Okay? You're breathing. You're gonna be okay. Like sometimes we take living for granted, right? I mean, this is something I do all the time. But just right now, like mentally think of five things. 3 to 5 things. 10 things. 20 things that you are thankful for. I mean, a simple one is like you have a roof over your head right now. You have. You probably had something to eat sometime today. You have a smartphone to listen to this podcast or you maybe you have a laptop. Listen to this podcast. So there's so many things that you can be thankful for in this present moment. So take some time and just think about that. The second thing I would say is disconnect cry. So ultimately, we are on, as I've said before, information overload and social media. I mean, all right. Like I said, I'm not on social media, but people have been sending me means just a you know, for fun. And I've heard that, you know, social media right now is kind of like, really dreary place to be. It's almost like that passive aggressive Horrell gonna die. Let's post a bunch of teams and talk about our death, and it's funny for like a second. But honestly, it's really not. So take a second and just kind of unplug, maybe deleting app or two and kind of just being the present moment. You know, everything is so panicky and scary and crazy. I personally don't track the news. I just don't do it. I can't handle it. When me and my husband first got married and I was still waiting for this business to take off, all I did was watch the news and I would literally be like, depressed for hours. I was like, Man, this person died of this and there's there's sexual predators out there. There's so many things going on. We're all going to die, you know? And you get into this, like, worst case scenario and you find yourself, like in this corner, like rocking yourself, you know, like, Oh, no, we're all going to die And you got paranoid. Yes, Well, stop that. That's just it's not healthy. Don't track the news. I mean, if someone needs to really update you, we all know what the news is saying. We all know everyone saying it's the same thing. I personally think this is all going to come to a head, and then everything's gonna be fine. That's what I keep telling myself anyway, going into this whole constant cycle over and over and over. It doesn't do anyone any good. It's not productive. It's not healthy. So just take a second. Disconnect something. Maybe don't check the news for a week. Watch how much happy you are. Seriously, I'm a happy person. Also be present for your family, right? Take things slow. Read a book. Clear distractions. Make yourself some coffee during the middle of the afternoon because technically, you have nowhere to go. So he might as well. I mean, just don't feed into the frenzy. Don't feed into the panic. Make some time for yourself. I don't take a bath journal your thoughts and unplug. Takes some time to yourself. It's okay. Okay. So are you going to do it? Are you going to give in to the craziness? Or here's a couple things that I do when I'm really stressed up. Are you going to think positive? Right. So, like I said, it is all going to come to a head so imagine eventually. This is all going to end. Okay, If you look at the tunnel, there's usually the whole right. You look through the tunnel and there's the hole on the other side, and you can see what is on the other side. We can do that together. Like, imagine that adventure. This is gonna be over. And one day it's gonna be a huge joke. It is. I say that all the time. Like, you know, I remember getting into a car accident, and I just was salting my friend like it's fine. Like, one day I'm gonna laugh about it. I can laugh about it now, but I wasn't laughing about it then, but kind of thinking about the positive future instead of like, the negative future, it kind of helps curb the anxiety. Anxiousness. You know, um, and then constantly, just like is that shutting down the world? And I What if you could be a carrier? I'm a carrier, like Okay, I'm just gonna just talk about my parents. I just got the phone with my mom, and she were gonna be those weird people that take a trip during all of this, right? We're gonna go to Florida. It's like $40 like we're just We're just gonna go. So my mom was like, Oh my gosh, you know, you know, the Corona virus lives on metal for up to two weeks, and you could be a carrier once you know your husband gets home from work, he needs to wash those clothes because I'm like Mom, How long have you watched? And we watched the news every hour. I'm like, Mom, that is not healthy. You are literally sending yourself into a panic frenzy. And then they watch contagion like Why? I just You're literally feeding into the fear like you're literally giving yourself an excuse to go nuts. So do the complete opposite of that. It's unproductive. It's not healthy. I'm probably going to say that like every bullet point, it's not productive. It's not healthy. So cut it out. Okay, listen to music. I listen to music all the time. Actually, did you know that listening to music has psychological effects? That's pretty cool. I googled it right cause I'm like, always music. Good for you. And then it goes. This is what the snippet that I caught the psychological effects of music can be powerful and wide ranging music therapy is an intervention sometimes utilized to promote emotional health, help patients cope with stress and boost psychological wellbeing. Music can relax the mine, energize the body and even help people better manage pain. What? That is insane. Music has the power to do all of that like it's it's incredible. So instead of binging on a podcast or all these other things that you find yourself doing, like like watching the news, listen to some music, maybe take some time and if it's raining here. So if it's not wrangle But there, maybe you could go for a walk and listen to some music and just relax and unwind. Do you have a friend that loves to make playlists for every mood, every vibe, just for fun? Well, you should hit the person up like make me a playlist called Sunshine and listen to it every day to make you happy. But seriously, um, okay, so I feel like a lot of people have to work from home, right? So why don't you make a list of all the things that you said you wanted to do, but never had the time to Dio because guess what? We got tons of time to do nothing or something. So the first week or two, we kind of distant spring cleaning me. My husband. Okay, Most of my husband. He's the clean freak, not me. But I move stuff around, and then we redesigned Ella's little space. We moved her toddler bed around. We moved all of her toys and furniture around, and now it looks bigger. And that was fun. And it passed. Oh, I don't know, an entire day. So, you know, thinking of things to do moving stuff around, getting getting active with your body. That actually kind of helps counter act the effect of depression and anxiety because you won't have time to waddle near thoughts. You're just doing something you want to do and you're being active so you can't go to the gym. Well, at least we can't. Um, all the gyms are closing down now. At first it was like, Oh, we're lessening the hours now. They're like, Nope, we're closed for a while. So find things that you could do around the house. That is productive. Um, I know like when when spring comes, I always get so annoyed when the bird starts singing. But also assignment Spring is here. So listen to the crazy birds singing guys and actually enjoy it because you have nothing else. Better do fuel feelings, right? Like just kind of take some time and think about some positive things. Think about I don't know, were kids they're gonna be in 12 years a sleaze, is it? If it's not stressful, Makesem Pop, hurry as it is it Pa Paree or poor E. I don't even know how to say it, right. But I made some last spring, and it really changed the vibe of the house. I just peeled an orange and I put the peelings and boiled it in water hot water and then added cinnamon add like some basil just added some random stuff. And the house smelled good for, like, three days, actually. So that's nice to something fun to try. Um, update your pricing, guys. If you're a photographer of your business owner man, update your website. Update your social media profiles updated with new pictures. Change your biles. Make sure they're not outdated. Like these are things that I do when I am restless. I just check things that need to be updated. I update them. I don't know Gives you something to Dio. If you have an email, it's email your list. Let them know you're sends it to the topic. Let you let them know that you're here to help. It's kind of funny because I've been looking through my e mails every day because I don't have social media, and it's kind of find a here, like how many companies, or like, brands that are not sensitive to the topic of Cove in 19. And I was kind of very aware of the people that were like, We're here for you, like here's some resource is to help you this time of need and the other people that are like trying to sell their product And they're like, Ah, subscribe to this juices And I'm like, I'm I just feel like it's not relevant at this point in time, so I just don't really know Its kind turned me off. Um, another thing I would say is checking with their friends or my goodness, checking with your friends. Some of them might not be okay. Like I was one of those friends. I was like that. Okay. I was like going bananas. Everyone's like, How are you? I'm like we're all gonna die. We're all gonna die. Just a matter of time. Oh, my gosh. Really have five years left. This is it. This is it. The end of the world, you know, but checking in with a friend, making sure that they know you're there for them and vice versa. Because this is crazy, man. It can get to you, especially if you're all alone. Like it's not cool to be alone. Especially a time like this. Okay, so what is something that you can do if you want? Take action. So these are things that you could do for yourself. But what is something that you couldn't do for others? Right. Um, like me, I'm posting awareness of this, you know, topic to kind of help put a light on a dark topic, shedding light, Be a light. Actually, in this dark time right now, if you feel passion is, I do about spreading this and goodness, kindness and just positive awareness instead of feeding into the fear. Then step up on a platform and talk about it. Post positive things Post positive quotes encourage people that we're actually gonna get through this. We're not going to die. This is not the end. The end is almost here. It's going to be over. It's all going to spill over here soon. It's gonna be fine, even if you don't feel it. Like I know a lot of people, you know, Say Laura, like, how are you, X y Z? Like, do you even feel it like, you know, I want to do this, but I'm just not sure, like imposter syndrome Israel. But the the thing that separates the impostors from the leaders is that the leaders take action on their imposter syndrome. Right? If you're just an imposter syndrome like person, you just dwell in your thoughts all the time, over and over and over. But you never do anything because they're so afraid of what people will think. Well, being a leader, we don't care if people think we're happy that you're here and we want to make an impact or we have a purpose. We feel like we need to do something. That's what separates the leaders from everybody else. So if you want to be a leader and just shed some light on this and do something positive. I don't know if you can hear that motorcycle going by, but if you can bread some awareness, some positive awareness and decide to reflect hope, faith and my gosh, could you imagine the impact that we could have in the world if a bunch of people decided that I'm not gonna dwell on pity? Let's just stick together, guys, and it's gonna be fine. Let's support each other would be there for each other. I highly, highly suggest this. Um, so if you're one of those people that are now working from home, right, man, now is a good time as any to work on that side hustle that you have been talking about that you've been dreaming about. But you've never had time for. Luckily, if your job has sent you home and you have the time to work on your craft and maybe set some goals and plan things out for the year Well, guess what Now is the perfect time for that? I mean, binge on encouraging a motivating podcast, right? Don't don't necessarily binge on, like gossipy topics or things that are just not gonna help you in this time or just rent a random information overload. In my opinion, I mean, if you want to start a blogger or a website where a YouTube or your own podcast now is the time. Start planning your content. Start organizing things, start planning your next move. I mean, you have so much time. Let's figure out ways we could be productive with this time. All in all, I think that now is the perfect time as any to kind of set your goals for the next big move or don't make any moves at all. And consider this a much needed break you've always needed to reset. You've always didn't take a break. You've always been ambitious. You're always on the move. Now is the time to do nothing. I've been doing a lot of nothing, and I let me tell you, I have never felt so good and useless at the same time. But it's been good. It's been so good for me. I've been cooking more. I honestly I should put that that cooking is actually therapeutic for me, like cutting up some mushrooms. I don't know what it is, but man. The way that mushrooms feel when you cut them is so it's like a stress ball for me. I don't know. It just is. But think of this as a way to kind of slow down, kind of make peace with your thoughts, be present with your friends with president, their family. Make time for them in this time and maybe not Check your social media as much. I don't know. Maybe not. Check the news as much. Maybe stay off your phone for a little bit and just kind of enjoy the moment. You have so much time to be at home. Well, let's be present. Let's take that next step and and do something productive or nonproductive. Let's just make the most of it. I mean, we're all stuck here together. We all can relate. This is kind of like the best time for you to reach out to somebody and just hang out on Zoom. You can hang out on Zoom because we should be hanging out at arm's length. Don't forget to wash your hands, guys. And if you're one of those lucky people but snagged hand sanitizer before it was too late, you're lucky But you know what? I found a recipe of how to make your own hand sanitizer, and I'm gonna put it in the show notes because we all need this if you have Talavera. Oh, shoot. Was it alcohol? I don't know. I'm gonna look it up, and I'm gonna post in the show notes. But all right, guys, this was a really quick episode. Is one that drop us and they're just a kind of throw in some positive light. It won't be edited, so I apologize in advance for how sloppy this probably is. But I just wanted to get this out there. Um, I think that it's all gonna be fine, you know, Like I said, it starts with the mind, And if you can get a handle on that, I think everything is gonna be fine. And if you keep listening to this over and over because you forgot ways to distract yourself from this craziness, feel free because episode's gonna be here for Ember. Alright, guys, I'll talk to you later.