Which Wolf Are You Feeding?
Art by Ann Macarayan for Pollen.
This is a time of stay-at-home orders and acts of self-quarantine coupled with significant uncertainty in the world, the economy, and our lives. It can be easy in this moment to saturate our information intake with all the news surrounding coronavirus and COVID-19. It is one thing to be informed. It is another to be negatively pre-occupied. Fortunately, this is a choice we get to make at the start of every day and throughout the day. And the choice we make can have great impact on your physical and mental health.
One of the best mental or psychological framings of this concept is the parable of the two wolves.
Along my journey through addiction into wellness, this story was presented to me. Suddenly, my thoughts, feelings, and behaviors started to make sense. When I filled my mind with negative thoughts, bad food, etc., my behaviors mirrored in kind. For example, when employment options were limited or when I received interview rejections, I’d tell myself that I was not good enough and that I’d never get a job. This led to filling out fewer applications and not improving my resume or interview skills. It was a self-fulfilling cycle. A bad one at that.
As the parable implies, the good wolf thrives on emotions of love, hope, and joy, These things are all around us, even in the most dire of times. We simply need to open ourselves to this good — no matter how small. It takes nothing for us to give a smile to another and for them to feel appreciated. That reciprocal action brings us a small bit of joy. And with that, we are feeding our good wolf.
If you are feeling tense and anxious, recognize that at least two factors are at play. First, the circumstances of COVID-19 are stressful on its face. Our communities are shut down. Our jobs are on hold. People are sick and losing their lives. Second, most of the news and our social media feeds are filled with both the good and the bad news about COVID-19. Now our lives are almost completely consumed and this is not healthy.
What can you do today to start feeding your good wolf? Can you start reading magazines or a novel? Go for walks regularly? Can you carve out time to write letters to family members versus engaging through technology?
A few years ago, the great storytellers at Pollen helped tell my story and wonderfully captured the story of the two wolves on my life.