Copyright Debra Wilson Guttas 2020. All Rights Reserved.
The right of Debra Wilson Guttas to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author and publisher except in accordance with the provision of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This book is dedicated to my beloved husband, David. It is you who encouraged me to once more take the leap and put myself out there in writing this book. You prompted me to move the book from a concept in my head to making it real. It is always you, even in the hardest of times, who is able to envision whats possible.
I love you.
Who This Book Is For
There is a wealth of information out there for you on how to avoid the coronavirus.
This is not that. Rather, what I seek to do is give you some practical, easy tools for restoring some sense of clarity and peace in the midst of it all.
This book was written as a primer, a sort of quick-start guide, to support you in navigating not just the coronavirus, but other life crises as well.
The truth is that the experience of living through coronavirus has a lot in common with going through divorce, grieving the loss of a loved one, coping with cancer and many other major life events.
In the blink of an eye your life as you know it, changes.
The feelings of shock, uncertainty, fear, denial and anger can invade your every thought and literally paralyze you - if you let them.
Perhaps youre wondering what makes me an authority on this subject.
Well, Ive devoted over 20 years of my life in the area of the mind, body and spirit connection in my work as a career, life and business coach and integrative wellness practitioner.
But thats not the only reason.
In February 2017 I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast cancer, a rare and aggressive breast cancer.
That diagnosis would have been bad enough. But a few short weeks later I was diagnosed with yet another unrelated Stage 3 cancer.
I never thought in a million years that I would be one of the 1 in 8 women diagnosed with breast cancer. I eat well. I exercise. I meditate almost daily. I have no genetic link. I had no health issues to speak of.
My world quickly felt like it was spinning out of control. It was mind-numbing.
I wrote about that journey and what I learned as a result, in my first best-selling book 7 Keys to Coping with Cancer - How You Can Feel Good AND THRIVE (from someone whos been there).
To this day my oncologists and other doctors call me a "Rock Star". They tell me I wish I had more patients like you! You do not look like someone who's been through 3 series of chemo, two series of radiation and two surgeries.
Everyone will tell you that I am the picture of health and vitality. I know it is because of the things that I do on a daily basis that support me in feeling good.
I am going on two years of being cancer-free.
Notice I didnt use the word remission. I dont consider myself to be in remission because that to me insinuates that I plan on the disease coming back.
I dont.
That is just one example of my mindset. I am a big believer in the power of the mind. Theres a lot of science behind it and as far as Im concerned, I am proof positive.
Dont get me wrong. I am not in favor of blindly going through life, sugar-coating reality and taking risky chances with your life.
Every decision I have made has been made with lots of research behind it.
My return to health has been due to a combination of great medical doctors, science AND employing a whole mind, body, and spirit approach to my life.
I want the same for you!
I am on a mission to support as many people as I can to navigate the coronavirus, or any other major life crises, with much more EASE.
This guide contains the most important tools I used, and continue to use, to support me in feeling better physically, emotionally and mentally.
It offers hope of a new life, and of the transformation that is possible, if you dare.
INTRODUCTION
M ost likely you are feeling a little overwhelmed (just a little!) by the huge number of simple day-to-day changes you are being forced to deal with right now.
All of a sudden social distancing, a term we never even heard of until now, is impacting every facet of your life - from going out to eat, the gym, yoga, having a drink after work with your friends and even going to the grocery store.
You feel out of control with what's going on in your life.
Maybe youre being forced to work from home.
Perhaps you have children who can no longer go to school and you are scrambling with not only how to home-school them, but how to keep them busy and happy and not lose your mind in the process.
You might be in fear of losing your job or have already been laid off.
Or maybe you yourself, or a loved one, have been diagnosed with the virus and are trying to cope with an illness that even the medical community and science, as of this writing, doesnt have all the answers for yet.
I know that one of the first questions I had with my cancer diagnosis was Am I going to die? That thought might be going through your head as well.
Of course theres also the question of How will this impact my career, and my family and my friends?
If you're reading this hopefully you also seek more answers than what Western medicine and mainstream society has to offer. Somewhere deep inside there's a part of you that feels like there's more you can do to support yourself through this process.
That's what this guide is for.
Ive been there.
Trust me when I say I know where you are and what it's like to feel like your life is out of control; that some still-unknown invisible invader has changed your life as you know it, possibly forever.
This guide outlines the keys that have been, and still are, a part of my life practice.
My sincere hope is that you find value in them and a new sense of hope - hope that you can in fact feel good. Hope that you can have a happy and peaceful life, even if its a different version of the one you had before.
With good energy,
Chapter 1: Shock and Awe
"Never apologize for showing feelings. When you do so, you apologize for truth."
Benjamin Disraeli
KEY#1 - Allow yourself to feel
Give yourself permission to emotionally process what's happening.
I ts a LOT to process, isnt it? It feels like utter chaos. Unpredictable. Everything seems to be happening so fast and furious. Theres so much information to absorb. So many decisions and changes to adapt to - QUICKLY!
What strikes me as ironic is that at a time when we most crave coming together as a community, when we are seeking one another's company or the comfort of a hug, we are being told to exercise social distancing.
Interesting predicament we find ourselves in, huh?
In a way, like it or not, we are being given the "opportunity" of stopping or interrupting our normal pace of life; to take notice of how we are responding to what's going on and to go inward to reflect on what's really important to us and postpone, let go of or discard what no longer really matters.