Living your purpose and being of service to others is an incredible expression of your destiny and your reason for being on this Earth.

And, if you’re putting yourself last to take care of everyone else, you know it can also take a toll on your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.

Remember: “you can’t pour from an empty cup.”

To continue to show up and serve others as the most authentic and powerful you, it’s important to take time to refresh your mind, replenish your soul, and rejuvenate your body.

One of the best ways to do that is with an at-home spiritual retreat.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to attend a spiritual retreat in a beautiful location, away from the demands of my busy life. But that’s not always possible during a pandemic!

An at-home spiritual retreat is a way to build a connection with God/Spirit/Universe through self-reflection, self-tending, and spiritual activities.

It’s easy to feel lost, confused, or overwhelmed right now.

The Coronavirus pandemic upended and shut down life as we knew it. Social uprising and protests for Black Lives Matter are demanding radical change. Change for individuals and society as a whole.

Our jobs have changed. Our income has changed. Our social lives have changed. Our belief systems, organizational systems, and government systems are being challenged to change.

Change is overwhelming, even when it’s a good thing. Especially when it’s necessary.

The Coronavirus pandemic has upended our lives and demanded more from all of us. We’re navigating a new world of extreme telework, we’re stocking up on months’ worth of food and household supplies, we’re taking on more responsibilities at work and at home.

There are more virtual happy hours, family dinners, coffee chats, and Meetups than one could possibly fit into a week. There are more deadlines, more meetings, more assignments. There’s more pressure to perform, more pressure to get it right.

And there’s more burnout.

Over the last few weeks, the Coronavirus went from something happening across the world, to something happening in our backyard.

The uncertainty of the pandemic creates fear, panic, and a sense of lost control. As many people have put it, this is uncharted territory.

It can be terrifying to know what to do next when our government and leaders aren’t giving us a plan.

But there’s one thing we can control: our mindset.

Because fear is only as powerful as we make it. We can choose to live in fear and panic, or we can choose to find peace and connection.

Shifting our mindsets to find peace amid chaos is one way we can take back control of this terrifying situation, take care of ourselves, and take stock of the good in our lives.

We’re all in this together.

And the brilliant reason I returned.

I didn’t have the energy to look at another baby picture or cat meme.

I was working 10-hour days and commuting an hour each way to a job I didn’t want. Sure, that was exhausting, but it was nothing compared to the crushing effects of the depression that seemed to creep in unannounced.

I sat at the kitchen table crying for the third night in a row; a pattern that had slowly become the norm over the last year. I knew something had to change.