It is safe to say we have all been affected by this virus in one form or another. Indeed, these have been very uncertain times that we’ve all faced together, week after week.

Whether you’ve been laid off, have school-aged kids at home, seniors in long term care, your business sales have plummeted or you had to shut down your ‘non-essential’ business, the effects of COVID-19 can be devastating for many of us. Not the least of whom are our elderly neighbors and other vulnerable people in the community.

I cannot imagine some of the seemingly impossible challenges that many have had to endure. It’s like we had to learn new coping skills in order to persevere, one day at a time.

Meanwhile, as our justifiable fears have mounted over things like our finances, our kids’ education, not being able to see a physician for other concerning health issues, etc., our stress levels may be going through the roof!

So let’s try to be mindful of how this anxiety can impact our minds and bodies. We don’t want to make ourselves sick from worry or weaken our immune systems by not taking care of ourselves.

As I struggled to ward off my tendency to be somewhat of a catastrophic thinker, I made a conscious decision a few weeks ago to spend as much time as possible focusing on things I can do at home to distract myself from what has become our new normal…like mucking around with my 40+ houseplants, playing with the cats or dropping off a loaf of my elderly neighbor’s favorite bread. Seeing her smile with appreciation makes my day and helps to put things in perspective.

The Milton Villager would love to hear what sort of creative strategies you’ve developed at home for yourself and family members to get through this crisis. If you have some great ideas you’d like to share with our readers then please email the publisher at rick@dilorenzo.com

Lastly, I can’t think of a better time to be thankful for all the brave souls out there, like our front-line healthcare workers who have been putting themselves in harm’s way every day working tirelessly and selflessly to take care of the rest of us. I’m also very grateful for all the other essential workers who ensure we have our food and medications like our grocery clerks and pharmacists. There are so many amazing people working hard to serve us, such as truckers, public transit workers, auto mechanics, take-out restaurant employees, delivery drivers, retail and curbside staff and so on.

Milton is an amazing town filled with compassionate people offering FREE Assistance for Seniors, Elderly or Immunocompromised. If you or someone you know requires help with groceries, other essentials or critical health appointment rides, there are volunteers throughout the community to assist you. Craig Thomson founded the facebook group Milton Covid Assistance which helps connect volunteers in Milton to those that need

help, you can also call their voiceline at 416-840-4637. For more information about what else is happening in Milton you can visit halton.ca/covid19

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