Depending on your season of your life and situation, your day may consist of working remotely, trying to keep your home stocked with necessities, home-schooling and entertaining your children and finding new ways interact with people online. Your routine for food shopping has become a project and things that were important a few weeks ago no longer matter.
Yesterday I was sorting through my shoes and realized I now only need three pairs. One for walking, one pair of sandals for when it gets hot, and one to hike in. I won’t be going to the office or out, so there is no reason to dress up. It felt a bit weird but also refreshing.
The COVID-19 Pandemic is causing all of us to experience loss as we hunker down at home. The best way to recover from loss is to acknowledge how sad, difficult or frustrating it is and allow yourself to feel. Common feelings during this Pandemic are anger, disappointment, loneliness, and sadness.
You may be feeling anger at the inconveniences, financial pressures or the delaying of your goals. You may be disappointed because a planned vacation has to be postponed or an anticipated event or your favorite activities have been cancelled. You are most likely feeling lonely due to the shelter-in-place order, missing seeing your friends and family and wishing you could get out and be social. The news and observing what others are enduring has made all of us feel sad.
If you allow yourself to pay attention to how you are feeling, perhaps have a good cry, and talk about the loss with others, you may be able to get to a level of acceptance of your current situation sooner. Acceptance doesn’t mean you like the obstacles the or the loss, but it gives you the ability to move on and live your life to the best of your ability. It gives you the strength to find peace in the midst of a precarious situation.
None of us know exactly what is ahead of us, but we can find a new normal in the midst of this season. If we try to live each day as it comes and work at becoming content with the current routines, simple activities and new challenges, we may settle in and adjust to this temporary change.
I think this is a good time to reflect on the Serenity prayer (Alcoholics Anonymous) most of us are familiar with: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.