Record storms and fires, a contested U.S. presidential election followed by an attack on the Capital when the sitting president didn’t like the results. Oh, and a pandemic that just won’t quit. (Who would have thought there’d be this kind of world-rattling pandemic in our lifetimes? Not I.)
Life has been turned upside-down for many of us.
Remote work as kids attend school virtually.
Rampant unemployment and resignations.
Grocery store shelves emptied of toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
Hospital oxygen supplies depleted.
Masking. Having to consult the NIOSH Certified Equipment List to be sure the N95 masks you buy are legitimate. (According to the CDC, 60% of respirator masks sold in the U.S. are counterfeit.) The CDC suggests double-masking as a substitute which I did for tai chi class but with Omicron raging in Wisconsin I also ordered (real) KN95 masks.
Life has been and is likely to remain crazy for the foreseeable future.
How are you managing? Are the habits you set in place during calmer days still working? Are you leaning on less-healthy practices more than you'd like?
Because of being sidelined by Lyme disease – I’d been working on an exit-plan long before Covid-19 struck – my situation is a little different. These last 18 months were spent nurturing my body and mind and working toward healing. Until last fall, I’d confined myself to home except for medical appointments, 14-minute grocery runs and get-togethers with my bubble-friend.
That said, my habits have not been good. Oh, food and drink intake are generally good (except for holidays) and I’ve been sleeping well. (What a delight that is!) But I have two struggles:
While I say that meditation and yoga are important for my well-being, I don’t make them happen. Every effort at scheduling fails. My Google calendar has three (3!) weekly commitments with lots of blank space. I make plans but too often don't follow through.
I am playing piano regularly so there’s good along with the mediocre. But what will happen when I start working again if I can’t make these into habits now?Then there’s Sudoku. I learned to remove Solitaire from devices so that I don’t lose whole days mindlessly. I had hoped that deleting the Sudoku app from my tablet would free me from this black hole. But one day I found that I could casually play online. Oh, dear.
I tell myself that having something with which to check my fatigue level is beneficial – if on good days I can solve “Evil” puzzles, then when I find “Hard” ones taxing I can cut back on other activities. This works (but at what cost?) since I can solve most puzzles. I say this not with pride but with an awareness that I spend entirely too many hours at it.
I am a work-in-progress. That's okay.
I might write about shame another day. For now, I’ll simply say that when I feel inclined to keep something to myself I look for a way to shine light on it. That’s one of my reason for sharing this story. (None of us need more shame.)
Another reason is so that I might have credibility when I ask how you are managing. Life is wonderful but it can also be a bear – and there’s been a lot of bear lately.
If you’re reading this, you already know suggested ways to help yourself. Mayo Clinic offers a good list. I might add:
Do more of what nourishes you and, where possible, less of what depletes you.
Find ways to help others.
Allow yourself time simply to be. We’ve been trained to be “human doings” but we need the other as well. “Being” freshens the mind and enhances creativity.
Hum. Yes, this sounds strange. But years ago I read that humming eases anxiety and it works for me. If you’re not musical, hum tunelessly. It the physical action that matters.
That’s it for today. Stay healthy. Be safe.
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