One of the hardest things about social distancing and stay-at-home orders is having your routine disrupted. Many people are struggling with this very thing and trying too hard to stay inside the “box” of normal life. Life is not normal right now! And you are NOT alone in your efforts to force is back to normality. To varying degrees, we are all facing adjustments to life as we knew it and some of those adjustments are harder than others. Having a difficult time finding a new routine is natural and feelings that come up about it are valid. You can feel these emotions and process them as you need. In this blog, we will discuss five techniques that you can use to help you adjust
Experiment
We all have lists of things that we want to try or tips that we’ve heard that make our lives easier. While we are in the normal bustle of life, it can be hard to implement these changes. Now is the perfect time to try something new. If it works, you can decide to keep it and if it doesn’t work, you can cross it off the list without experiencing too much loss.
Journal
This technique can help you sort through your emotions and identify patterns of thoughts and behavior. Your journal can become your go-to while we are social distancing from one another. Things that you may have discussed with a friend over coffee can be written in the journal so they can be assessed. For example, maybe through journaling, you discover that you’re being plagued by negative self-judgments about your perceived ability to balance work and homeschooling your kids. In observing these thoughts, you have the opportunity to distance yourself from them and make behavioral changes. Knowledge is power and with this understanding, you can implement changes.
Don’t Be Scared of Change
This one is easier said than done but being afraid of the current situation makes it harder to cope. I encourage you to approach this situation with an open mind, and a spirit of willingness. Sure, you might fail (and learn something in the process.). You might also create change that is real and true and experience a new kind of empowerment.
Be Curious
Many people are using this time to learn new skills that can help them personally and professionally. Encourage yourself to use this time productively. Is there something you have always wanted to know more about but never had the time to dedicate to research? Is there a skill you want to add to your resume? There are a lot of free learning resources that have been opened to encourage learning and growth during this time. Be curious about the world around you and do some exploring! (Virtually, of course.)
Don’t Do It Alone
Even though you can’t see people outside of your home face-to-face right now, there are a lot of online video chat tools you can use. Facetime, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, and many others are available. Pick a buddy to work on these changes with. It’s always easier to implement new ideas when you have a cheerleader beside you. Get them involved and encourage one another.
It is always important to remember that even though we are social distancing right now, there are many therapists available to do phone or video therapy sessions. If you need to reach out to someone, I highly encourage you to do so. We’re all running a marathon, not a sprint, and no one reaches the finish line successfully without support. If you would like to talk, please let me know. You are not alone!