March 24th, 2020, Atlanta, GA / Giselle Ave. Media — Them: How are you all holding up? How has the Coronavirus impacted you and your family, so far? See you later, stay safe.
This is the eerie salutation from neighbors, family, and friends over the past week. For context, this is going to be a challenging time for some, and a walk in the park for others. I couldn’t imagine not being able to hug my grandmother, or visit my grandfather if they were nearby, but this is the unfortunate reality we are faced with today. From the Family Tik Tok Dances, to Social Media Tag 10 Friends Challenges; we are collectively doing the best we can to make the most of the current times we are in. Instead of business as usual, people are keeping everyone’s health & safety in front of mind, by asking how you’re really doing since The Rona has everything on lockdown?
My response? Sincerely, I’ve been kinda, sorta “social distancing” for 2 years, and counting– but I didn’t consider it a “thing.”
In my previous career, I was able to work from home quite often, so this wasn’t something new to me. In 2018, I retired from corporate America for good and since then, I’ve been unintentionally learning how to social distance like a pro. As an entrepreneur, I work in a home-based office, so I’ve found the fine line between work/life balance. I didn’t realize that one day, everyone would be encouraged to social distance, but here we are.
By definition, social distancing is:
— the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance from other people or of avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection
Scientifically, social distancing is primarily needed to prevent the spread of a contagious disease, and to reduce the transmission of infection.
Physically, social distancing is avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places, such as entertainment venues, public gyms, public parks, and public schools.
Spiritually, social distancing is to remove all forms of distractions and systemic attachments, in order to awaken your subconscious mind into a higher frequency that allows you to raise your vibration, and learn how to go within for answers we seek from the outside world.
Lessons Learned from Social Distancing
I started social distancing once I became a full-time entrepreneur. I noticed how important it was to surround myself with like-minds, and people who have big dreams. My decision to social distance was for me. It was something I knew I needed to do in order to fully operate in my purpose as a writer, and full-time creator. Art takes time, and I knew frequent social outings would take me further away from my purpose. So, I took a break. I stopped doing things without a real purpose. I declined invitations to hang out and grab drinks. I created a life I wanted to live daily, so I didn’t really need to take a vacation. My whole world shifted. On top of all of that — I got married last April, and that marked the beginning of my spiritual journey with my husband, together as one. Spiritually, social distancing gave me room to recreate myself from the inside out.
Currently, the entire world is social distancing in order to flatten the curve and spread of the Coronavirus. Nationwide, public places are closed and we are all being encouraged to stay home, stay inside, and maintain a healthy distance from others. Although the language has been subjective to some, most are following the guidelines and taking necessary precautions.
As of today, the end of social distancing is unknown. But, there is a bright side to it all. So, what have I learned in the past 2 years that I’ve been spiritually practicing social distancing? So far, I’ve learned how to hone in on my creative skills, the same skills that have carried me this far. I’ve learned how to practice self- care, and how to master the art of doing it for yourself. As a result, I’ve grown spiritually, and I have everything I need. I’ve learned how to let the ego take a backseat, and to instead, put my faith in action. Most of all, I am at peace and at ease in life.
The current social distancing worldwide has introduced me to a different perspective of life. The Entrepreneurial Journey teaches you how to hone in on what you need versus what you think you need in order to be productive in life. Every dollar counts when you’re making it for yourself. Let me repeat, every dollar counts when you’re making it yourself! The world is shifting towards a side hustle driven workforce, that prefers to work remotely, while doing what it loves. I’ve been doing this now for two years! I’ve been working remotely, doing what I love, without a strong dependence on the outside world or systems that have supported me thus far. I know, it’s an entire new way to live your life, but my how the times have called for a radical shift in consciousness. What does it look like? Well, take a look in the mirror because we’ve arrived!
4 Spiritual Benefits of Social Distancing
Eating Real Food
One of the spiritual benefits of social distancing is eating real food, so you can nourish your body and build up your immunity. What if we couldn’t go out to eat? Take-out is currently a viable option in some places, but now is not the time to depend on a restaurant or small business to feed your family for: breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. The health enthusiasts have been urgently encouraging us to dine in, eat real food, and cook at home. Personally, I prefer to cook at home over dining out, unless I know the restaurant meets my personal standards. Social distancing is showing us how going to the grocery store and preparing real food for your family is a lost art that is currently being reborn.
Real fruits. Real veggies. Water. Coffee (at-home), and even enjoying your home bar for cocktails!
Engagement on Social Media
Did you go to Club Quarantine this weekend? If not, you missed out! It was something magical, something that was never done before. DJ D-Nice took to Instagram to spread love via music therapy, and brought over 100,000 people together in one live stream! From A-List celebs, to political leaders–Club Quarantine was lit!
Spiritually, social distancing is ironically showing us how close we really are. Across skin color, class, religion, and gender, at the end of it all– we are all apart of the human race. The engagement levels across social media have increased because we’re all at home! While I don’t think this is time the time to “take advantage” of this opportunity to reach your audience because you know they’re home, it is a good time to engage with your online network. Go live! Get on You Tube! Start your podcast, get your digital content creation on! Who knows, you may meet your future bae in your DMs if you stay open and in receive mode?! Simply put — we’re all actually engaging online.
Needs vs. Wants
Spiritually, we are learning the difference in what we need versus what we want. When I became an entrepreneur, I quickly learned what I needed versus what I wanted. Instead of going to the beauty and nail salons weekly, I got creative with the hairstyles and nail art I chose. Thanks to one $400 investment, I was able to solve all of my hair wants for an entire year! Social distancing teaches us how to be comfortable with what we have, without wanting for anything else.
Me and hubby usually go out to eat on Fridays, but date night hit different this past first Friday of a citywide shutdown, here in Atlanta, GA. It’s not about where we go, what we do, or how much the date costs. It’s about love, respect, and genuine quality time.
When your faith is built on a solid foundation, you start to notice how certain wants tend to fall off your radar. Instead, you focus on meeting your basic needs, and trust that the rest will follow. It always does.
Creative Juices Flow
Last but not least, these creative juices are finally flowing! Again, I’ve been socially distant for about 2 years now, and I’ve grown so much professionally, personally, and spiritually! Our gifts are given to us to help us unplug and navigate through our lives. In my recent blog post, I shared why you should focus on creating your dream life, instead of trying to land your dream job. Why? Because dream jobs come and go, but your dream life is something that only you can create for yourself! Whether you’re a writer, painter, dancer, or music artist, social distancing is a great time to get creative!
As we enter week two of social distancing, I hope this blog post inspires you to take heed to the spiritual awakening taking place worldwide. While social distancing is primarily used to prevent the spread of an infectious disease, perhaps social distancing can also prevent the spread of fear? Overeating? Greed? Loneliness? Creative blockage? What do you think?
Staying Socially Distant, But Awakened,
Belle in the City Giselle
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Giselle Avenue 
This is because of the virus spreading, Social distancing is important and the whole world should abide by this rule.
Totally agree! Thanks for visiting me here on Giselle Ave.