Feeling Anxious About Coronavirus? Words of Hope from Celebrity Pastors and Motivational Speakers
Fears about coronavirus are gripping the world. Right now, you might feel like getting in your bed and hiding under the covers. Fortunately, there are timely messages out there that can help you get through this and whatever else might be concerning you. Here are words of hope from celebrity pastors and motivational speakers to help you survive another week.
“You have to protect your peace.”
–Joel Osteen
In a sermon titled “Peaceful on Purpose,” Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church, says it’s important to make sure you stay away from anything that is robbing you of peace. If negative people or the news is making you feel anxious, make a point to distance yourself from that person or limit the amount of news you’re consuming.
“You have to protect your peace,” says Osteen in his message. “You weren’t created to live worried, uptight, on edge. This is the reason many people have health issues.” Osteen recommends not trying to figure everything out and worrying to the point of illness.
“Notice what you do have instead of what you don’t have.”
–Tony Robbins
Motivational speaker Tony Robbins advises those who are struggling with an unfortunate situation to focus on the things that are going right in their lives. Although times are scary, if you reframe the situation and instead take stock of what’s going well for you, this can calm your nerves and even help you devise a plan to deal with your challenge. “Establish the habit of noticing what you do have instead of what you don’t have,” says Robbins in a video titled “A Habit of Positive Thinking.”
“Noticing what’s great about a situation instead of what’s not great,” continues Robbins. “Focusing on solutions instead of problems. That’s what changes your life.”
“Excessive thought activity often creates scenarios of things going wrong that are not happening now, may never happen, and often probably will never happen.”
–Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle, mindfulness expert and author of The Power of Now, says it’s OK to be afraid, but it can cause problems if you feed the fear. “If there is fear, one important thing is to direct your attention to it, you acknowledge that there’s fear,” says Tolle during a talk he gave on breaking free from fear and anxiety.
Tolle also says after you acknowledge the fear, it’s helpful to be aware of the thoughts connected to the fear. What are you thinking that’s making you feel afraid? “What are the thoughts that your mind is producing while you’re feeling the fear? Is it possible that some of the thoughts you’re thinking frequently produce the fear?” says Tolle. Here’s what he had to say in his talk about facing fear and taking control of it:
Excessive thought activity often creates scenarios of things going wrong that are not happening now, may never happen, and often probably will never happen. And even if it did happen the actual situation would actually be easier to face than the imaginary situation in your mind because there’s nothing you can do, no action you can take to remedy an imaginary situation, except to stop thinking it. But if an actual situation arises, you face it and you give it your attention, and you take the action you need to take.
“Your mind is your power.”
–TD Jakes
During times of crisis, it’s easy to go over every bad thing that could happen. However, TD Jakes, pastor of The Potter’s House, warns against “thinking yourself to death” by worrying and focusing on the problem. In his sermon “Do Not Worry,” He recommends correcting your focus instead of dwelling on the negative event. This way, you’ll be able to think clearly and find ways to overcome whatever situation you’re facing.
It will be hard to get your work done or engage in self-care if you’re worried. According to TD Jakes, “your mind is your power, and your power is your mind.” Protect your power source so you can be effective on the job and at home.
Read more: T.D. Jakes Book ‘Crushing’: What to Do When Your World Falls Apart
Follow Sheiresa @SheiresaNgo
