The Easiest Way to Glide Through Pandemic Life
I miss January 2020.
We were ticking off to-do lists, sipping coffee with friends, and filling out our 2020 floral planners with glorious optimism. Of course, none of us was prepared for a pandemic to rock our comfortable worlds, and to combat our growing fear and anxiety, we desperately clung to hope.
"This is temporary… the kids will be back in school in a few weeks… soon I'll be back in the office/gym/cafe."
Clearly, that's not what happened. The pandemic is beyond our wildest dreams. It swooped in and snatched up our freedom to go about life as we please.
We all know this disruption to our daily routines has been (and continues to be) a real threat to our mental and physical health, but you might not realize our thoughts keep us on this downward trend. To stop the decline, we have to shift gears and stop telling ourselves, "everything will be fine."
Why? Because we don't know what's coming next.
Maybe it will be okay, but perhaps it won't. What we do know is our beliefs affect our behavior, so if we cling to hope that things will get better soon, it's my bet we'll stay in a holding pattern waiting in fear and disappointment. (To read more about how our beliefs affect us, check out this quick article on Psychology Today)
Three months into our new lockdown life, my stress was at an all-time high. (I can feel my heart race as I recall my many breakdowns and slow weight gain.) While I wasn't sure what to do about the downturn, I knew I wasn't alone. Family members and friends struggled right alongside me. And watching everyone else sitting in the same mess is what got me to move.
Pre-pandemic me didn't settle for the status quo, so rather than allow another day to happen TO me, I took the time to reflect, regroup, and redefine success.
You all, I know this is hard. With work from home and school from home, our emotions often run unchecked, and our anxiety is taking on a personality of its own… nothing feels normal.
It’s moments like these, I'm grateful I'm wired the way I am — troubleshooting and strategizing are what I do best. So let me give you the single most effective way to veer this ship in a better direction.
Shift your mindset:
Stop thinking of the pandemic as a temporary situation and accept it as our new way of life. We absolutely cannot control it, so why fight? This is where we are today. How are we going to make it work?
I swear the moment I came to terms with our new reality, and the moment I shifted, my mind lightened right along with my stress. Masks are no longer foreign; they are simply what we now wear. My continual "what if" worry has faded, and I can find more opportunities to feel "normal."
After you release the "what should be," do the next step" and let go of "what was."Stop looking to the past: If you took my Shelter In Place Silver Linings photo class, you likely read Ichigo Ichie. It's a sweet little read that can help you focus on today rather than look to "someday" or, what SO many of us do, hold onto "what was." (Check out the book here.)
Yes, the exhaustion, fear, and irritability are real, but we don't need to hold on to them so tightly.
When the unknown happens (pandemic, wildfires, illness, hurricanes, etc.), we have a choice: curl up into a tight protective ball or plug along, clearing the way down a new path.
I choose to push forward, and that starts with your mindset and understanding nothing is predictable.
Most of us are parents, which means we're incredibly resilient, and adjusting our expectations is second nature.
Exhale and make the shift. You can do this.
P.S. Interested in leveling up your mornings to set the tone for the rest of your day? Sign up for monthly emails and you’ll get a free Master Your Mornings digital course download. Or you can choose the Mindful Photography course download.
