Becoming the Best You During a Pandemic

How different things must have been during the 1912 pandemic.  Now with the internet, data-powered cell phones, offices, video-conferencing platforms, and the good'ol will-to-survive - there is a lot of opportunity during a shelter in place to rebuild and become one's best self.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge those who have been so heavily impacted during these times.  My thoughts grow heavy for those who have been battling and struggling to meet basic needs, down to taking a breath.  There are many resources to help contribute to the families impacted and the essential workers who are putting their lives on the line to help the population come through on the other side as a population.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has impacted all of us at varying levels.  Change causes stress whether it is visible or not.  Stress causes behavioral changes and can lead to depression, anger, anxiety, and a sense of loss.  These are all normal and valid feelings.  There is nothing wrong in acknowledging that this unexpected change is causing behavioral changes as well.

How then, do we survive and eventually thrive in order to rise from the ashes of the current circumstances?  I have mentioned a few ways of taking care of oneself in my blurb about helping children learn to cope.  These methods can just as easily be used to parent oneself and learn to cope as well as build mastery.  Here are a few of them.

EFT - Emotional Freedom Therapy
Emotional Freedom Therapy or "tapping" utilizes a series of acupressure points and brings the tapper back into the body - away from racing thoughts

Exercise
Physical-distanced outdoor exercise has many benefits including outdoor fresh air, increasing the heart rate, and a chance to say hello.  Being kind to everyone on the trail and focusing on beauty will help maximize this experience.  Children often love to stop and stare.  I remind myself its OK to stand around as well.  I keep a time limit instead of a goal on how many miles I want to complete when I have my children with me.  In those cases, it is more about the view than the milestones.

Choosing A Passion and: 
Joining virtual groups that meet regularly or even social media groups that post regularly
Researching online virtual groups that meet regularly can help with providing a feeling of socializing in a healthy way.  Including the children can provide a human element.

Studying Ideas on Social media
Sometimes if I cannot sleep and I want to craft but physically crafting is not possible I sometimes browse ideas on Pinterest, decorating websites, and other social media platforms in order to appease my creativity for the moment.  More times than not I find myself remembering that craft and perhaps doing it later.

Same with cooking.  I rarely cooked before pandemic times, but as with most during this time I have definitely perfected a few dishes.  Watching fun, fast-paced cooking videos, especially before bed, somehow are really motivating.  Most of the time I take that pearl and save it for later.

DIY videos
Do-it-yourself projects or DIYs can be a refreshing break. The idea of people taking simple inexpensive or old items and turning them into something amazing and new is inspiring.  Taking it easy and not pressuring myself, I find that I eventually come around to doing 10% of the DIYs I have seen.

Creating a vision board
A friend of mine initiated a group vision board party and I was blown away.  I never thought about using Pinterest in order to create a vision board, let alone create one with friends and then have a "show-and-tell" session upon completion.

With that said, I still love traditional vision boards.  Something about a board, some pictures of what I want, and some inspirational words really work.  Posting one on the wall can be powerful.

Utilizing Cleaning therapy
Cleaning one room a day or even a section of a room can create a sense of accomplishment.  Having two children under 5 and constantly feeling underwater if I have a few moments to clean just a corner it works.  Many times my kids are suddenly interested in that very corner I am cleaning which is OK too!  I let my babies discover that part of the room and work on a different part of the house.

Starting an online degree
Especially as a mom I do find if I get one free moment I am fidgeting looking for something to do.  Also, as a mom, going back to school online is a break in comparison with chasing two children around.  How about going "back to school" for that certification you've always had your eye on or that bachelor's you never finished?

Doing One Fun Thing With Your Child Each Day That He/She Enjoys
There is a small window where we are in our children's world.  That window grows small fast.  I am so tired so much of the time but even if I am lying down, I hold a Barbie doll in my hand and play with my kids from my pillow.  I bring current events into the play and we end up talking about things through the toys.

There is so much more I could say on this topic but the point is, that there is a solution to the stress that comes along with shelter-in-place and working from home.  Always being pleasant and working on ones self can actually result in a lot of extra energy and willingness to try new things.