Coronavirus Bedtime Serenity Prayer

 

As a trauma specialist for many years and author of, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for Dummies, I have started a series of short videos and blogs with tips and tools that I hope will help you get through the Coronavirus Crisis.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change; the COURAGE to change the things I can and the WISDOM to know the difference.

If you’ve been in a 12 Step Program or know anything about them, you’re probably familiar with the Serenity Prayer. Members of these programs are encouraged to use it as a way to calm themselves down and not give into a destructive impulse. 

In essence it helps them to pause before they act or react and do something counterproductive or destructive when they’re under stress.

If you haven’t noticed the world is globally under stress and feeling out of control with the Coronavirus outbreak and in need of some serenity… immediately (or “stat” as we we would say in the ER during my medical career).

The Coronavirus Bedtime Serenity Prayer is adapted from the Serenity Prayer but adds two additional suggestions:

Coronavirus Bedtime Serenity Prayer

God grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change; the COURAGE to change the things I can; the WISDOM to know the difference; the FOCUS to select three things I can get done in the next 24 hours to help me feel more in control and the unwavering COMMITMENT to do those things.

Saying this before you go to sleep, gives you a focus, a plan of action and something to do the next day that may help you feel more in control.

BTW you can always change your plan in the morning after you’ve had that better than usual (during a crisis) night’s sleeps.

Try it for a week and report back.

We’re all in this together and we WILL all get through it together, because we always have.

6 Points