Surviving this Year

COVID, also known as the coronavirus, is a massive flu that had killed over 100,000 people and affected millions world wide.  Scientists and health professionals are comparing it to the Spanish Flu of 1918, and most all are working from home, schooling their kids from home, have lost their jobs, and it is more important than ever to take care of ourselves.  Most of us were already wearing 10 hats and now with the hunker downing its 20. 

Self management during this crisis is critical.

Here are some tips on coping and hoping with ease:

• Enya is your new mix tape. Your environment and home is your sacred space.  if it’s not, your car, your local Starbucks drive through, your local CVS, all are escapes to peaceful bliss. 
• I hate the term time management, but it’s very important especially now. Daily tasks need to be set, and the best way to execute them is to take care of what you need to do first.  Don’t give a %#$% what other people are doing, focus on the time in the day and segment it towards your long and short term goals.  Good questions to ask yourself include, what do I want to accomplish today?,  what do I need to accomplish today?,  what will make me feel accomplished by accomplishments completed?
• You are what you eat. As much as I want to eat 30 dumplings in one sitting, I need to take care of my body.  My body is my temple.  Eating clean as possible is recommended, and fresh fruits and vegetables should be readily available at your home ready to cook.  Grocery list pick recommendations include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, eggs, nuts, Lara Bars, and wine (no more than one glass a day if absolutely necessary). Drink water to avoid dehydration, and wash your damn hands.
• Set your boundaries. This is key.  Used to group chats?  Now is a sensitive time and if you feel more stressed after conversations with certain family and friends, it is OK to limit those to what you are comfortable with.  Audit your conversations to see how you feel after the interaction.  If it’s overly stressed and it’s complicates your daily living and survival you need to reassess the relationship and push the pause button as often as possible.
• Worm hole of social media will suck you up and you may never return.  Auditing your social media accounts is crucial as well.  Election years are already tough and with the hunker downs now we need to temporarily block ads that are good for our well being.  People that have been over accommodating and over serving others will most affected by this.  It’s OK to give emotional support but relationships should work both ways in mutual respect.
• Tame slash entertain the kids.  – My kids are the best things that ever happened to me, but to avoid extra stress I have been setting boundaries more often on time for me.  This can be hard and sometimes I feel guilty, however it’s good for parents to get alone time to avoid getting angry at them.  The activities that have worked best are necklace making (bought a 5 pound bag of beads and string on Amazon), play dough (on the kitchen table only, and THEY have to clean it up), Netflix movies (Despicable Me, The Grinch (it’s Christmas in July), Morphle, Garfield, all were sure bets for us), Baking brownies (pre-made mix is the best and we mixed it with a few eggs and water, right in the 9×11 pan and wallah!).
• Don’t splurge on that new bag.  – The economy is weird now, and your first priority is paying your rent and paying for your food.  If you can’t live in or eat the bag, it’s time to pass on cutting grass.  For now anyway!

No matter what the circumstances are, don’t break!  We have all felt like we were dead before, and we all have made a come back.  If you have any other tips to share, please do below. We are all in this together!