Apr 24, 2020

A New Normal

by Nichole, Magical Marketing Millenial

I know, I know. All you hear about right now is COVID-19 this, Coronavirus that, statistics here, statistics there, but what about you? How are you doing? Taking a step back from the onslaught of information has been the best thing I've done during this crisis. Instead of listening to the news, or other pre-dominant media outlets, I turned to science and reputable information resources that don't tailor their news for views and sensationalism. And I check them maybe...once every couple of weeks. The reason? My sanity.

I'm a Mother of a blended family. I have two young students at home, two that I can't see due to social distancing, full-time school, full-time work (now at home), and a husband out of work (though, he's fortunate enough to still be paid until his company re-opens). I'm also more of an extrovert than I thought I was. This new normal hasn't been an easy adjustment. Frankly, it's rough, and I know it's not even as rough as it could be. I don't think it's been easy for any of us. And I want to validate that this struggle, these emotions, these hardships, these changes - they're all very real. You're doing your best, and that's enough. Did you read that? Hear it? Say it to yourself? I'll repeat it (one of my favorite phrases): 

YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST, WITH THE KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS YOU HAVE, IN THE TIME THAT YOU'RE PRESENTLY IN.

It's okay to feel like you do. It's okay to not be a super-human. It's okay to sit and eat your emotions or not eat if it is all too much. It's okay to stress clean or leave your chores for a later day. It's okay to be grumpy or cry out of frustration. It's okay to crave human contact or love the isolation. It's okay to cry or be upset for no apparent reason. It's okay to miss your loved ones, your work, your quiet time, trips to the grocery store, playdates with friends, and a myriad of other things. Feeling angry? Irate? Tired? All the emotions? That's fine too.

Point is, stressing about the news is the last thing I think we need right now. What we need is to remain present, in the here and now, and work through the onslaught of changes while we find a new normal. And guess what? It's okay if you never do that either. You're not required to find a new normal. Adjusting where you are able to is enough. YOU are enough. And you are loved. And we'll all pull through this together. 

Here's a virtual glass-raise to all of us and the future of two-foot social distancing.