This pandemic has truly exasperated so many existing conditions and many folxs in Alberta are feeling exhausted, angry and frustrated. I have been writing articles for Ponoka News since September and it really has been an emotional life saver. It keeps me busy and interacting with members of our communities. Through these conversations it’s very apparent that all communities are under pressure, fatigue and stress. So, many families are stressed with all the uncertainty and it feels out of our control.
There are some things that we cannot control, like this worldwide pandemic. What we can control is how to respond. We can control how we interact with our fellow neighbours and we can control our emotional responses. This is one thing I learned through adversity and it is controlling how to respond to adversity. I have always tried to remember the good in others.
So, despite whatever you’re going through I encourage you to be kinder and compassionate. You just never know what your fellow community member is going through. There are job losses, financial issues, isolation, mental wellness issues, or healthy families that are emotionally exhausted with helping loved ones struggling during this pandemic. Working families are juggling with pressures of working from home and helping their kids through homeschooling. The pressure is on.
Small acts of kindness go a long way. Respond in kinder and more compassion ways. They cost you nothing. Be random in your kindness. Give compassion freely. For example, hold the door for an elder at a store. Donate money to a local charity. Turn that frown into a smile when you walk in to get groceries because you’ve been isolated for so long and you need food. Call your family through Facebook just to say “I love you and appreciate you.” Pay it forward to the car behind you when you’re getting coffee in a drive-thru. Give meaningful compliments.
If we all collectively do these small acts of kindness it will make a monumental impact in our communities. Acts of kindness can define communities and over time make a huge impact in the overall mental wellness of a community. Being mean is cheap and easy. Don’t fall into negativity. There’s so much chaos in the world and we really have a choice on how to respond. I hope you choose kindness and show more compassion.
Thanks for reading Spill the Tea with Rabbit.