TMI – Looking for the new normal

Just as I was getting back into a new routine after my partner’s departure for an extensive business trip, the world exploded with a pandemic. It’s scary, it’s real, and really exhausting.

You know what else is real? The fact that life just got turned upside down. Working from home, homeschooling, entertaining bored children with anything other than the taboo “screen time”. These curve balls immediately triggered an emotional, chaotic, juggling act. Change was imminent. Anxiety was high. And feelings of overwhelming parental inadequacy were creeping into the back of my mind.

For the amount of change that I encounter in my life between my career and my relationship, I should certainly be a subject matter expert on change management. Yet, I didn’t resist the knee-jerk reaction to change. Thankfully I was quick to acknowledge these emotions, triggering a visit to the trusty toolbox of coping that has gotten me through bullying, death, unemployment, divorce, single-parenting and now COVID-19.

I’d say I’m a very spiritual person. I’m not prejudice or bias; I pull my spiritual kicks from a lot of different practices. I get clarity through meditation and gratification when grounding. And there’s nothing better than an invigorating church service on a Sunday morning, or the energetic shift I experience after a good ‘ole “woo-doo” moon ceremony. These are what helped us get back in balance.

It’s a funny thing about humans – we can be very adaptable when push becomes shove. It’s innate in us to adjust to our surroundings. A few weeks into isolation, life is beginning to show a bit of normalcy. My daughter is learning the life skills of preparing her own snacks and meals, while I video-conference for work. She is now discovering that school lessons are actually transferrable to everyday life. Household chores have become treasure hunts for life skills and fun ways of learning. I’ve reminded myself to slow down and appreciate the hidden blessings.

I’d say we are knocking up a few points in the winning column, as we look for our new normal.