Let me say, no two people are handling this the same.
There is no right way to cope with what is going on.
This isn’t a contest.
This was my life:
Wake up.
Get the kids to school.
Go to work.
Pick up the kids.
Come home.
Cook dinner.
Go to bed.
Exciting, I know.
There were small pleasures in there, dinners with friends, yoga classes and date nights…but that was the basic gist of my days.
Now we get up later, something I have never done.
Make coffee.
Stroll to my desk, sometimes in my pajamas!
Work a couple of hours.
Help my first grader with her schoolwork.
Meditate.
Lunch with my hubby.
Work a little bit.
Do some yoga.
Finish up working.
Make dinner, some nights he makes dinner.
Play Uno or another game with the kids a few nights a week.
Watch Netflix in bed.
Drift off to sleep relatively easily because there are NO TO DO LISTS IN MY HEAD!
For some people, this is tedious and tedium becomes exhausting.
For me, and other whose lives have been tedious and exhausting for years, this is a slice of heaven.
I am on my mat to practice - not teach - more than I have been since yoga teacher training.
But it wasn’t all sunshine and flowers for me. The week before everyone else locked down, I had a well deserved, anxiety induced meltdown. I had gone to Vegas with friends as people began to become aware of this virus. The first American death reported was while I was away. Then I had to fly home, which was nerve wracking. As soon as I got home, the news amplified. I spent the that time mostly huddled in the fetal position, crying. I didn’t sleep for days, working and teaching became unbearable, and I finally pulled my kids out of school (only a day before the county made the decision for us) and stopped going to my office. Only once I felt safe, locked in my house, was I able to start caring for myself and find peace.
My friends and family have run the gamut of emotions and reactions to this situation. There is a special magic in commiserating with others. This is a shared experience, even if we are all handling it differently. Some people bake banana bread and some watch Netflix 12 hours a day. Neither one is right and neither one is wrong. But we should all be sharing what works for us. If you don’t need support right now, be someone else’s support.
We have no control over what is happening, so release any sense that you do. Holding on to something that never existed will only increase your anxiety.
Be kind to yourself.
When you find something that soothes you, embrace it.
Be kind to others.
Support their endeavors, even if they seem misguided to you.
Most of all, stay safe.
Stay sane.
Remember that mental health IS health.
As you know, my passion project has been my To Breathe Deep program. This year was to have been a year of growth and expansion, but the Universe has a funny sense of humor.
Like most others, I have been struggling just to define normality in my life right now. Only once I had a foundation to stand steadily upon could I begin to think about how to adapt and help others.
Luckily people much more creative and ambitious than me have created things like the internet and virtual meeting rooms. For the time being, To Breathe Deep will be moving to the virtual realm.
Because the logistics of distance are no longer an obstacle, I will be opening the program to anyone anywhere who is interested. Due to the sensitive nature, I will not be posting the meeting information publicly and ask that you message me to be added to this particular mailing list.
Please share this information with anyone who might benefit.
Register here.
