I’m so tired of hearing “the new normal”
We’re all navigating the new normal. Two weeks ago, I thought my biggest problem was not having a cruise booked in the next 6 months. Cruise cancellations were heartbreaking, but boy, does that feel small and insignificant now. This week – it’s layoffs, struggling with the tech challenges related to working from home, and hoping to get at least a few hours of sleep (despite my racing mind) each night. Yep, the “new normal”.
Let’s be clear, I am SO tired of hearing “the new normal”– it’s so cliche. But, the truth is, most of us are facing some big stressors and challenges right now. Whether it’s losing a job, worrying about our financial future, or working on the front lines of this global health challenge, we’re wondering what life will look like 30, 60, and 90 days from now.
My inbox of cruise questions this week went from “do you think my May cruise to Alaska will still be a go?” to “my hours have been cut, and I’m not sure I can afford my November cruise…what should I do?”. We’re suffering right alongside you friends, and as I mentioned on our recent livestream, the tips I’m sharing today are coming from personal experience with coping. We, too, have been brought to our knees during this crisis, and here’s what we’re learning.
Take Action
If you’re feeling helpless, hopeless or down, you may find comfort in taking action – even if it’s small action. What have you been wanting to do or try that you just haven’t attempted? Writing? Starting a blog? Taking a course? A new hobby? Maybe you’re thinking about a home organization project? Crazy as it may sound, you could also subscribe to an online fitness class.
Being stuck at home, we can’t “go out and tackle the world” right now, but we CAN find small ways to start the ball rolling on something that we’ve been waiting to do. For me, this means spending time writing articles for our newly designed website. As much as I want to bury my head in social media right now, the mantra “create before you consume” has guided me to take a little time each day to work on the website because I know it will give me a sense of accomplishment. A sense of moving forward and feeling that win that comes with completing something. I love this quote from Thomas Jefferson: “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” I bet Thomas Jefferson was faced with navigating the new normal once or twice too ;-)
Get outdoors, if you can
My co-worker was walking her CAT this week, yes, her cat. On a leash. She said it was helping her to feel sane, and I love how she is adapting! I recognize that this may not be possible, depending on where you live. If you live in a big city, this may be as simple as opening a window, or moving your desk closer to the sunlight. For us, getting outside and deeply breathing in the fresh air has been one of most powerful ways to turn off the worry this past week.
Take a social media break
While it’s important to stay informed, I’ve found the a break from social media, and news helps me keep a more positive attitude. Do you have one of those screen time alerts set up on your mobile device? I do, and ugh, my little pop up report showed that I had a 25% increase in my screen time last week. It makes sense, we’re all turning to the news and to social media to stay informed, but for me, it was getting to be too much. I needed to allow my mind to be quiet and still. If you can’t part with social media, TV and the news for a weekend, try 4 hours and see what happens. Does the creativity resurface? How much better will you feel if you organize your travel closet vs spending 4 hours on Facebook?
Reach out and “text” someone
Touch base with someone you care about EVERY day. It helps to get outside of our own minds in a time like this, and our friends and family need us. I found this week that I was having little pity parties for myself here and there…which is very unlike me. For me it seemed like a sign that it was time to phone (or text) a friend. Send a quick email, make a call, host a virtual zoom call with friends. Just reach out and ask “how are you”? I’ve received texts this week from people I haven’t talked to in months. It meant so much to me to hear from them. It boosted my spirits and inspired me to reach out to others as well. I believe that this new habit is going to be one of the silver linings that comes from this crisis. Sometimes, you just need someone to say “how are you doing”?
Document your days
I don’t like the word “journaling”, but this is a good time to write things down, maybe even share a little bit of your life with others on your Instagram stories, or Facebook. Karen Marie Moning said “Nobody looks good in their darkest hours. But it’s those hours that make us what we are.” As we navigate the new normal together, we are HERE for you. We’re determined to be better friends, better spouses, better parents, better entrepreneurs and better professionals on the other side of this. Jump over to Facebook and send me a DM. I want to hear how you’re navigating the new normal with grace, creativity and love. And then, I promise, we’ll never say navigating the new normal again!
If you like this article, be sure to watch our companion livestream.
