Before my family’s quarantine began on March 16, my mantra was one day at a time. We were living a busy life that included commitments to our jobs, our children’s schoolwork and their extracurricular activities, church, and extended family. Your life might have been remarkably similar.
To keep myself from getting overwhelmed from our schedule and everything else I thought I should be doing, I became intentional at focusing on what I could control, one day at a time. However, this was not something that came easy for me. I had to learn it and purposefully work at changing my mindset. Previously my default mindset was to worry – worry about the ‘what if’ and the ‘what’s next’, so basically all the things out of my control. I wasted a lot of time and energy worrying.
Does this sound familiar to you?
After I learned the superpowers and the not-so-superpowers of my Leadership Voice through the 5 Voices I became self-aware in a way I never had before. It wasn’t easy to look in the mirror and acknowledge unhealthy patterns of behavior towards myself and others but, once I called out and owned those behaviors, I shifted into new actions and understood what it was like to be on the other side of me.
Thankfully, I learned that before I was quarantined with my husband and two children. Life, as we knew it came to a quick halt and everything we had scheduled was canceled. It was scary, stressful, weird, sad, and frustrating (just to name a few emotions). In times of stress, our best selves do not usually appear if we are not self-aware.
I admit I wasn’t always my best self the past 9 weeks. I was challenged - as a wife, mother, business owner, friend, and school teacher. My mantra changed to one hour at a time because we were navigating unchartered territory and simply trying to emotionally make it from one moment to the next. We had to remind ourselves often that we will retell our story of how we handled COVID-19 for the rest of our lives. We want to tell a story of hope and kindness, mixed in with fun memories we wouldn’t have made otherwise. There are countless things I have missed (hugs, high fives, coffee shops, sporting events, end of the school year activities, and so many other things), but I’m choosing to focus on the things we have been able to do because our calendar was empty.
When you look back on this time 5, 10 years from now, how will you explain what you did? What will be your story?
As our community slowly reopens, I encourage you to focus on the things within your control and let go of those that you can’t. Sounds simple, but we know it’s not. I can give you healthy ways to do that. Let’s start with a phone call to talk about your specific situation.
Click here to schedule a call.