During this pandemic time we think and hear a lot about being contagious. We use words like “aerosolized particles” and “contact tracing” to help us be aware of how the coronavirus spreads. What makes this virus so hard to stop is that people can be contagious for a whole week without even having symptoms—walking around spreading it unaware. Hence, masks and distancing to cut down on the spread.
But there’s another kind of spreading we need to remember. We can spread feelings too—good feelings and bad feelings. You might not know it, but you are contagious… in what you’re expressing. If someone is panicked, then they spread that panic. If you’re anxious, then you spread that anxiety. Fortunately, it’s also true that if you are calm, then that is also highly contagious. And that’s what we want to spread.
So, do you want to infect people around you with more anxiety, or be more healthy and infect people with more peace? I think the answer is obvious, we just don’t stop to ask the question, or think about how to do it. But if we want to “infect” people with calm, then we have to practice peace and develop it like a muscle. Make it a point to exercise your calm and peace muscles so they can get stronger.
Here are some helpful exercise tips for strengthening your peace muscles:
- When you encounter an anxious person or situation, take few slow deep breathes before you say or do anything.
- Since people can pick up what you’re giving off, think about, “Would I want people to reflect the spirit and tone that I have right now?”
- Give yourself permission to say, “I’m not sure. Give me some time to think about it.”
- When something comes up, ask yourself, “Will freaking out about this help?” (The answer is almost always no.)
So be mindful of what you’re spreading. And start early. Notice when you’re letting toxic things into you. Too much news can get toxic and start making you feel worse instead of better. In an e-mail from early April (which feels like ages ago!), I said, “It’s good to stay informed about the pandemic—what’s happening, what it means, what you can do to protect yourself, what you can do to help others. There is information aplenty right now, but there can be too much of a good thing, and saturating ourselves in corona coverage, for hours on end, can add to our sense of distress without adding much in the way of helpful information.”
Notice what you’re letting in, and notice what you’re giving off. Our spirit is always contagious, so what kind of spirit and attitude do you want to spread? Use these verses from Philippians 4:5-9 as your guide:
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”