You're Not Alone Really

Coping With the Ups and Downs of Being an Expat

by Andrea McKenna Brankin

Covid Sparkle: This ‘Hidden Gem’ Can Boost Your Mood

I recently went on vacation to Thailand and my whole family got Covid after arrival. Worst-nightmare scenario and obviously a total downer. I didn’t have a lot of mood-boosting tools with me, but I did take a look at some bling I had worn on the trip to make myself feel better.

I had a Tanzanite jewelry set on, which included some lighter violet-colored new stones and three pear-shaped, darker, indigo-blue colored gems that my husband bought me on our honeymoon in Mexico in 2011. I might’ve been reaching a little on the power of gemstones, but I spent some time looking up the spiritual, physical and energetic properties of Tanzanite. It killed time, if nothing else.

There’s myriad information on gemstones and their properties. Tanzanite was introduced to the jewelry market in the 20th Century by Tiffany & Co. Discovered in Tanzania in 1967, it is a relatively rare stone that has a lot of spiritual, emotional and healing properties, according to Crystal Vaults, an online gemstone company that sells stones for meditation, yoga, healing and other spiritual purposes.

In terms of managing my moods, Tanzanite packs a sparkly punch. According to Crystal Vaults, “Tanzanite aids in sharing spiritual information and knowledge from a heart-centered perspective, making it an excellent crystal for counselors or others in the position of intellectually interpreting emotional experiences. It also benefits empathetic individuals who form interpretations of emotional information they receive intuitively.’” I would say that, as a bipolar person who writes about mental health and supports advocacy, this resonates with me.

I certainly also put a lot of sentimental value on the jewelry itself. “Worn as jewelry, Tanzanite not only stays within one’s auric field and brings one’s consciousness to a permanently higher state, but brings the positive self-awakening qualities to others who see its beauty.” So, that means that it can elevate your mood as well as make you look gem-tastic.

Drilling down to more emotional healing, Tanzanite can generate an energy of happiness and relief from worries, allowing insight into emotional issues without the need to dwell on them unnecessarily, according to Crystal Vaults. In addition to inspiring one to feel “more compassionate, loving and centered, Tanzanite helps in overcoming experiences of fear and crises, and in re-building trust. It helps solve questions related to the meaning of life, and in coming to terms with oneself” Yes, please.

Being stuck, even in beautiful Koh Samui, was still really stressful, as we had no intimation of when we could return home to Singapore. (At the time of this writing, we were still testing positive and had already missed our flights.)

Tanzanite also has physical healing properties, which, under my Covid circumstances, was muchneeded, as I was suffering strong symptoms of the worst respiratory infection I’ve ever had, such as stuffy nose, congested head, scorching throat and emerging cough. Crystal Vaults says Tanzanite can strengthen the immune system, detoxify the blood and improve vitality. This surely was in order for handling Covid, and I anxiously awaited this magic to take hold. (That, and Advil, local tangerine juice and a local Thai decongestant of questionable efficacy.) I

n terms of Covid recovery, there is also some evidence that UV sunlight can help blast away the virus. We were easily on board with this remedy, as we had our own deck, sun loungers and pool. But amidst the sweating and searing, I still took a lot of long looks at the sparkly gems on my finger, wrist, ears and neck and totally hoped for the best. Whatever it takes, shine on, you crazy Tanzanite. I need to get home!

Andrea runs the AWA Listen Ladies Group, providing confidential support for members at regular meetings. listenladies@awasingapore.org