Life is tough. Ohhhhh yes. I think we all can agree on that point.

Especially right now, 5+ months into the seemingly never-ending “suck” of this pandemic season, filled with unasked for challenges, such as:

• The loss of privileges and grief of having to put plans on hold
• This whole “work from home and try to be productive in the middle of a pandemic” situation
• Juggling homeschooling and other added responsibilities on top of an already jam-packed agenda
• Feeling isolated, trapped, and longing for adventure/travel/community
• Health issues, the loss of a loved one(s), or fear around getting sick

There are a number of challenges that are “piling on the hard” these days.

It’s been hard, Friend, it’s been super, super hard.

And for many of us, it’s putting us in quite the emotional funk. 

Internal World Temperature Check

Over the years I’ve learned it’s incredibly important to keep tabs on my mind and heart: to bring awareness to what’s going on inside and pull close to God on a consistent basis to sort through the emotional and mental clutter.

When life’s a bit rocky, I find it’s even more important to be on top of my inner-world. This looks like being more intentional around things like:

• Checking in with God more frequently to process through things
• Taking breaks when I feel stressed
• Saying “no” to things that sound draining or burdensome
• Setting aside time for additional self-care and soul-replenishing activities (like walks in nature, quiet time alone with God, and listening to music or podcasts that make my heart smile)
• Remaining grounded in the Word consistently to saturate my mind in God’s truth

And since many of us are having a rough go of it right now, I thought it was a good time to highlight 2 things I’ve found particularly helpful in persevering through rough times.

2 Tips to Weather the Emotional Storm & Fight Off COVID-19 Blues

Tip #1: Intentionally set aside time each day to be still and quiet before God

Checking in with ourselves and spending time with God grounds us and keeps us steady when life feels out of control. 

It also helps us bring awareness to what’s truly going on inside, so we can sort through our internal clutter and find our way back to peace and emotional order.

Even if it’s in small pockets (e.g., 5 minutes here or there), commit to making space for quiet each day. 

There’s no “right” or “wrong” way of doing this.

Just do what you can, when you can, for as long as your day will allow. 

Tip #2: Ground your mind in truth

To avoid being a puppet to our thoughts and emotions (which are completely unreliable), it’s important to fact-check our thoughts/emotions (Anything that doesn’t line up with truth? Toss that trash out! Even if our minds tell us otherwise.)

Here is a resource to help you out, focusing in on these 5 truths:

1. God chose you
2. God engages and listens
3. God leads and equips
4. God has compassion
5. God brings peace

The resource I mentioned above is something my fellow writer friend, Bethany Kimsey (@bethanykimsey) put together to help us all out during this “crazy hard” time. In the guide, she provides a quick (less than 5 minute) read on to guide you through what God’s Word says about each truth.

Here’s how I suggest using this guide:

• Download the free guide and commit to reading one truth per day this next week
• Print it out or write down these truths on your bathroom mirror (so you’ll see them each day)
• Meditate on these truths during your daily time of silence to remind your heart and mind of what’s true. Let them really soak in.
• Pull out and revisit these truths to fight back when life starts to become crazy hard.

Note: If social media’s your thing, you may also be interested in jumping in on the fun challenge Bethany’s got going on right now.

Here’s what that looks like: 1) snap a selfie of your truths on the mirror and then 2) post that pic on social media with the hashtag #truthonthemirror and tag @bethanykimsey.

Spread the word and have some fun with it!

Some Final Words

Friend, times are tough. 

So I encourage you to defend yourself against the “suck” by spending some quiet time with God each day and grounding your mind in truth.

Arm yourself with His power, hope, and peace.

Take heart, my Friend, we’ll make it through.

Life feels incredibly tough right now. But with God’s strength, so are we.