Virus, fears, uncertainty, sickness, isolation, quarantine…
No doubt, what we’re dealing with right now as individuals, families, communities, nations, and the world is quite troubling.
The coronavirus and its vast reaches are having huge impacts on life as we know it. It’s a storm on economics, finances, mental health, physical health, businesses, education, and more. And, truth be told, no one knows how this will all play out in the end.
So what do we do about it? Something. Anything.
In this post I’ll be quite vulnerable about some of my own struggles right now, and some things that have worked. I don’t have all the answers, but writing is one of those things that is helpful for me, so I do it. If it helps you in some way, even better.
Do Something
Like many, I’ve spent way too much time reading the news, getting stock market updates (I literally just checked it), and scrolling social media recently. These things aren’t bad, per say, but they don’t exactly incite me to make progress on important things. Too much of it can put me in a mental funk pretty quickly.
One difficulty I have is trying to answer the question – what should I be doing right now? Spending time with family, writing a blog post, working on my new online course, reaching out to prospective clients, creating videos, reading a book, exercising, meditating, learning new skills, taking an online course, and more. These are all good things that I like to do and help me be successful, but knowing which to prioritize and do at any given moment is sometimes difficult, even when we’re not in crisis mode as a society.
When I really get in a funk of not knowing exactly what to do, it helps me to just do something. This means rather than spin my wheels and think about the 20 different things I could do, pick one and work on it. Stay focused and don’t sway to other activities. Even if only for 30 minutes or so. This is easier said than done, but rejuvenating the feeling that I’ve accomplished or created something gives me momentum for the day and the next task to tackle.
Sharpen the Saw
In a time like this, you may have more time at home to work on additional tasks or projects than you normally would. In the classic leadership book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey shares the 7th Habit of “Sharpen the Saw.” To use one quote:
“We must never become too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw.”
To sharpen the saw is to work on continuous improvement and renewal both personally and professionally. So, what can you do with this time? Here are a few things I’ve been trying to do:
- Exercise, especially going running to get some sunshine and fresh air
- More phone and video calls to close family and friends to increase connections and strengthen relationships
- Walks with my family
- Taking courses offered for free due to the pandemic
- Finding creative ways to serve those in my community
- Meditation
There are more I could add to the list, but the most important question to answer here is – what rejuvenates you? Find ways to engage in those activities. It will help calm your mind and body, and get you focused on making important progress.
I would love your ideas on what you are doing to weather the rough seas we are facing right now.
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