I will admit it, after five weeks of furloughed work and almost nine weeks of staying home, I was ready to get back out there. Or so I thought. Excited by the thought of things opening again, I eagerly planned out what I could start doing. But by mid-week of my first week back to work, panic set in. All of these things started happening really fast; I quickly realized that everyone else had been sitting at home like me planning what they wanted to do. And now they were all looking for help to get it done. I did not want to go back to the crazy busy schedule I had pre-coronovirus. I was in full blow anxiexty here.
It is ok to not go back to normal
I had no idea all of this would hit me like it did. Whatever side you fall on, we all know that eventually things will open again. I knew it was coming and that I was ready, excited even. But if this week is any indication, I have some things I still need to work out, and maybe you do too. We have all seen the memes floating around social media about the new normal (I have a love-hate relationship with that phrase). But what does that really mean? Does it have to be one way or the other? Is it the old normal vs. the new normal or can a balance of the two exist? If you are like me, your head is spinning just thinking about the endless possibilities. But stick with me. I want to give you five ways you can navigate all of this without your head exploding.
Five actions you can take now
As I have been pondering all of this, I see that there are some things we can do now to ensure that we don’t end up saying yes to everything and become busier that we were before we even know the name coronovirus. And on that note, here are five things to implement now to find a new normal you can live with and enjoy…
* Learn to say no, or at least don’t say yes immediately.
I put this first because it is one of the harder ones for me. I am a people pleaser and I hate to say no to anyone. But I have learned that I can’t be all things to all people. I have started responding like this when I get a request…”Let me pray about it and I will let you know.” And then I go and pray about it. This response, or a similar response such as “Let me think about it and I will let you know” will allow you to take the urgency out of the request. It will also allow you roll in to the second action item…
* Figure out what projects you want to work on in this season you are in.
Despite what you (or I, yes I am talking to myself here too!) might think, you don’t have to be involved in everything that comes by. Don’t feel obligated to say yes to something, especially if it does not fit the projects you want to work on. For me, right now, I know I want to build my Etsy shop and my blog, I want to become more involved in my local craft scene, and I want to teach a few bible studies at my church. So if saying yes to something takes time away from those things, I really need to think about it first.
* Make sure you leave time in your schedule for you
This sounds counter productive, but it really isn’t. Recently, someone asked me what my perfect day would look like. Sadly, (and surprising to me) I could not come up with a single thing that I would want to do on my perfect day (don’t worry, I have thought about it and now have a perfect day that I can plan for!). I didn’t know because it had been so long since I had done something fun. Make sure you are not losing yourself in all the busyness.
* Take time to ramp up slowly, don’t overdo it
Think of it like working out. We have been sitting for over two months and we can’t expect to jump right back in. What would happen if we did not exercise for two months and then pushed ourselves to do 60 minutes of exercise five days straight? Our bodies would hate us and start to retaliate. We would be so sore by day two or three that we could not continue and end us worse off than we are now. So take it slow, build back up a little at a time. Don’t start right where you left off with a calendar so full you can’t write one more thing in the box. Give yourself some room to stretch slowly.
* Get rid of your preconceived ideas of what your new normal should look like
I know we all expect to get back to where we were before. But like I said earlier, I think there could be a mix of what we were doing and what we want to do. And this mix could end of working even better that before. Really take the time to think through what was working and what wasn’t. And if it was not working before coronovirus, chances are, it is still not going to work. Think about how you can change it or tweak it a little to make it work for you.
In the end, things will open and eventually we will get back to full speed. But I encourage you to use this time of phased openings to think about what you want to return to. I know we can all find the balance we are looking for and you can start today by following these action items. They may sound simple, but take some time and put some thought into them and I bet you will figure out what you want your new normal to look like.
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thoughts. Great website, keep it up!
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