Panic! Panic, panic, panic! Panic, panic—when we panic not only have trouble thinking of anything else, we stop thinking entirely. We enter a fight-or-flight mode that once upon a time probably was quite helpful to motivate us out of a dangerous situation, but in the modern era we war against a threat that we can’t outrun. It stays with us then, and it lingers like an odor that we can’t quite wash from our minds. In times like these it’s a daily struggle to evict it from that dark corner of our brain, and all the while it grows like a stubborn black mold over our logical processes, hiding them from us completely. What hope can we have to successfully work through a problem if we can’t reach the tools to solve it with? How can we defeat our internal fears when external ‘validations’ are only feeding the issue? I’ll tell you what: you’re better than this cycle. You’re much better. You’re stronger, and you deserve more than to feel insecure about what’s going to happen in the next few weeks, in the next few months. Let’s put an end to that line of thinking right now… Solid ground isn’t so difficult to find when you know how to go about finding it.
This blog is dedicated to “Satanic styled” self-care during the Coronavirus pandemic, specifically with respect to handling stress and anxiety about the uncertain nature of the situation. I’m not a doctor, this isn’t medical advice, I am just a friend. I am writing these words because I want to inspire you to take control of your situation. As helpless as you feel, you aren’t. You’re a god. You alone are in charge of your fate, and you’re doing the right thing by seeking a different perspective on the matter. Let’s not let you down.
Let's talk about where this
comes from in the first place...
As I said, I’m no doctor, but I know a thing or two about stress and anxiety from personal experience. It seems to me that when we think about how to deal with stress and anxiety, we like to react to what we’re doing at the time when we’re feeling it (or not doing). We don’t stop and think beyond there, and because of that we never get to the actual cause for these feelings. An example of how this is happening right now is that we are obsessed with any and all media about COVID-19. Admit it. You’ve got an ear to the news and your eyes are locked on your social media stream or whatever. We’re afraid of the unknown in all of this—but that isn’t what is causing the stress, believe it or not. I find that the cause of the stress is the belief that you’re incapable or powerless. Ask yourself this: are you? If you lose your job, are you the sort of person who gives up or are you the sort of person to get another one? If you run out of toilet paper aren’t you the sort of person to find a way to stay hygienic anyway?
The bottom line here is that there are things that we can control. Give yourself more credit. Just because you don’t know what you’re up against does not mean that you can’t conquer it with finesse and ease. Life will always throw you curve balls, and all you can do to handle them is real-world action. If you allow the anxiety and fear to consume you, you’ll forget what you can do to fight back and at that point, you won’t be able to. Believe in yourself. We’ve been through this before together, and we’ll get through it again. Life will continue post COVID-19, and you’re creative enough to make it work for you and the ones your love.
You don't have to be a Satanist to
want to be prepared for what's next.
It makes sense to get as much information as you can about something new, but there is something breaking here due to our obsession for more information. It seems that the bar has been lowered for the quality of information that we are grappling for, and with this, just as with any other research you are doing, it is important to be able to separate the junk from the jewels. As far as tactics go, outside of limiting your source to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) exclusively, the single most important way to handle any new strain of information is with skepticism and perspective. Remember that media has shifted from a ye’ ol’ purpose of “informing the masses” to the modern purpose of “entertaining the masses.” Headlines are indeed sensationalized, but it doesn’t mean that they’re incorrect. For instance, a headline that reads, “Deaths Rise by 1,500 to 6,000 Worldwide Overnight” does not mean that 4,500 people died overnight—though you may have thought that was the case if you read it too quickly. You, the consumer of information, have a responsibility to interpret what is being communicated correctly. If you read something and feel emotionally overwhelmed—if you feel that little pinch of panic—take a step back and read the information again. If something seems sensationalized, it probably is. If something seems to be motivating you to act based on emotions rather than logic, it probably is misinforming you.
If you’ve already lost your solid ground here, and you don’t know what is true and what isn’t anymore, I recommend doing a brain dump (forget everything you’ve read) and starting from scratch at the CDC/WHO websites. Devour it. Enlighten yourself from these expert sources, and feel the ground return to beneath your feet. Doing this is not going to waste time, it’s going to return that feeling of control to you. You can only act on what you know, so if you’re going to act, make sure you know the truth.
Those who would like to
minimize, dismiss, reject, or misdirect others
are reacting emotionally, even if they argue otherwise.
People can only respond the way they know how, and we all react differently in a time of crisis. Chances are that these folks are so overwhelmed by what’s going on that the only thing that makes them feel like they have control is to deceive themselves about it. Regrettably, this immobilizes constructive response not only for them but also for those subject to their misdirection. Self-delusion is a Satanic sin, and in this situation, beyond injecting confusion and misinformation, it makes people feel helpless to be receiving conflicting information because they don’t know how to constructively react. Inspiring doubt in a situation such as this will prevent it from being resolved overall. If you hear people squawking these things, pay no attention to them. At this point you have solicited the advice of experts, and so their fear-ridden counterproductive self-delusion should be something to conjure sympathy and pity, but absolutely not slow your own plans to take care of yourself and the ones you love.
I have found that the single best course of action to eliminate the foggy thinking and paralyzed muscles is to use them. There is nothing more empowering than proving to yourself that you can make a difference here. By understanding what is really causing your stress you will be able to tackle the problem at the core, freeing up your energy to be put toward something more constructive. We Satanists don’t sit on our hands waiting for something to happen! We get out there in the world and we do it ourselves! Once you have a grasp of solid ground again (which can be achieved by sorting the facts from fiction), you will be able to draw your arrow and aim it toward your target. Use your passion and self love to motivate you. Don’t doubt yourself for a moment. You’re not in this alone, and you won’t emerge from it alone either.
In closing, here are a few exclusive tips that you won’t hear anywhere else!
Keep going, Satanist. One foot in front of the other.
Keep going.
Hail Satan!
- Stop blaming people. You’re wasting your energy: hold people accountable later so you can free yourself up to wholly devote yourself to tackling your current challenges. You stand a much better chance at resolving problems at hand if you deal with them immediately rather than allowing them to grow, unattended
- Nose to the grindstone. We Satanists don’t believe in a higher power for good reason: if one exits, it has never done a damn thing! If miracles are to be made, they’ll be made by the hands of humanity, not a deity! That means you. If you want something to happen, you need to do it yourself. Practice personal responsibility and fight for what you want, Satanist. This is the best outlet for all that energy that is inhibiting mental faculty. Work hard for what you believe in.
- Focus on the CAN, not the CAN’T. There is a reason why we have specialists in the world. We can’t all do everything, and if we could then nobody would be good at anything at all. The sooner you accept that you can’t do it all, the sooner you will be able to excel where you can. This will diminish the anxiety since you will feel as if you’re working toward a solution rather than being overwhelmed with being “unprepared.”
- Keep in touch. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t reach out to friends and family. A friend of mine had the wonderful suggestion, and I’m sharing it here for your benefit, to mail a letter to someone who couldn’t speak by telephone. I did. I had been worrying about how things were going for days, and afterward the peace I felt was bliss.
- Worship yourself. Drink water, get extra sleep. Work out in your living room. Get dressed up, watch your favorite movie. At the end of the day, acting like the god you are will help you remember that you deserve to treat yourself like one!
Keep going, Satanist. One foot in front of the other.
Keep going.
Hail Satan!
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