In my last few blogs, I talked about what we need to do if we are going to successfully come out the other side of this Coronavirus crisis better than when we entered it. Let’s face it, most of us will be grateful for just surviving this crisis, but many will find themselves having to start over because they were not able to adapt many areas of their lives to a quarantined lifestyle. Even though there are endless social media posts about what to do and how to stay sane through social-distancing, but like before Covid-19, it all feels like sensory overload because there is just TMI. So many just give up and do nothing because it’s easier. And if we’re honest with ourselves we really want easier.
At the end of hardship comes happiness
~ Korean Proverb
I work with women who have been betrayed by their partners, and I can see a similarity in how they react to a life they were thrust into and had no preparation for. The indignity that befell them was individual, sudden, and embarrassing. The difference is they feel alone in their crisis and they self-quarantine because socialization would possibly expose them to even more shame and guilt which they already experience on a daily basis. So, adaptation takes a longer more secretive path for many of them. And that path was easier until it wasn’t.
This quarantined life we have endured for over 2 months now has become a hardship on many families. It is hard to wrap our heads around. Many are desperate for answers and turn to what they have always trusted for information and are being fed fake news. As a result, many are being drawn into conspiracy theories which create additional stress.
But this same secluded life has given us an opportunity to slow down and examine our lives. Some have done just that. Yet, creativity is waning, and many are tiring of the easiness of just existing. They are weary of the confinement and long for the diversity they enjoyed pre-pandemic. Yet they have no clue about what they will emerge into once the stay at home orders are lifted and many fear their complacency is going to bite them in the butt.
What if we look at this confined existence as a gift waiting to be unwrapped? What if we think about this time in our lives as an opportunity to create happiness out of hardship? Are we going to emerge from this crisis with new insights into our health, relationships, and responsibility to the world around us or will we return to mastering our unhealthy routines before this virus invaded our lives? These questions are similar to the ones I ask betrayed women, and the guidance I give can apply here as well.
The world around us has changed so much that we hardly recognize it. We can embrace it and take control of the course of our future post pandemic by starting now. We can put some forward thinking into place so that we can change our own individual footprint on our lives and the world around us. We need to adapt once again, and we just need to choose how. We can set a goal to do something that can impact our future lives as a result of this season of involuntary confinement.
What will you do now to prepare you for post pandemic life? Forward thinking requires us to get uncomfortable. Sometimes forward thinking requires us to endure hardship to reach our goal of happiness. Sometimes it takes elements outside our control to force us to examine where we are and where we want to go.
Unbreakyourlife