So, the election is over but the results are slow to settle. If you were thinking life would be easier soon, you may very frustrated right now!
Add the pandemic undertow, a new set of restrictions looming, holidays on the horizon, social isolation and you have a recipe for depression.
How are you going to get through this?
Let’s get really concrete here. Back to basics:
Where are you now?
What can you do, realistically, to get through this with your sanity intact, and find some joy?
First, where are you? Have you finally accepted that this crisis is going to last for a while? I have.
I suggest doing some writing about where you are now. Sit down with paper and pen. Take stock.
Do you have a job? Home? Family? How are the kids doing school? Are you unemployed? Looking for a place to stay? Have you been forced to make decisions you never intended?
Write about all this with a very matter-of-fact attitude.
Then, go ahead and write about your feelings, too. You have a right to feel as bad as you feel about this. Seriously, complaining is ok. It helps us accept, validate, and know that this is hard.
Not fair. Not expected. Not what we planned for 2020, let alone 2021 even. Get all of that out. Then let’s talk about what to do about it.
Our brains were made for this!
“The brain is wider than the sky.” – Emily Dickinson
Each of these problems have a solution. Now, you might not love those solutions right away. So, brainstorm. Think of more possible solutions.
Get creative. Open your mind and consider some things that would not have worked last year but might do for now.
If you get stuck, talk to someone, ask the online world, or “star” that problem for another day.
After tackling those needs, be sure to leave some energy to tackle an even more important problem:
How to find your joy again.
You don’t need to wait until this election is settled, this pandemic is over, the holidays have past or your friends have returned to let yourself find some happiness!
Here’s a secret.
If you do wait, something else is going to happen!
Time for joy cannot wait until all your problems are solved. It can’t wait until all the needs of your family and work are met. To survive this life, you’re going to have to feed yourself too.
So make a new list:
- The things that make you happy.
- The things that bring you joy for a minute or an hour.
- The things that make life worthwhile even when the human race is showing its messy side.
- The things that make you smile even when your own life is in shambles.
This is your own unique “TO DO LiST”. Nobody gets to judge it. No guilt allowed. If your list says watch TV and eat some cookies, that’s ok for now. Be gentle with yourself. This is a hard time.
Now go do some of the things on that list.