There’s plenty going on that can cause anxious thoughts. And to be fair, some of those thoughts can protect us from dangerous situations. But often those worrisome thoughts get amplified and we can obsess until we feel like a gerbil on a wheel.
Sometimes even a small positive action can interrupt those obsessive thought loops (and let the poor gerbil off of the wheel!) So, doing a good deed for another person in this stressful time accomplishes at least two positive things – a good deed for a person in need, the positive feeling you get for being helpful, and distraction from the worrisome thoughts.
And if you think taking a lesson from a gerbil feels silly, how about a lesson from Leonardo da Vinci? He said that taking action was what really mattered. Let’s get beyond mere thought (which can turn to fear or worry) and move into action. Put a positive post on social media, express gratitude, clean out a closet, re-pot a plant, write a letter. There are lots of positive actions we can take today, and all of them may help disrupt the fear and worry.
