How To Thrive In The Midst Of Unprecedented Disruption

The world is currently under siege by a notorious enemy. The coronavirus has taken the lives of many and is threatening to disrupt economies all over. Suddenly life, as we know it, has changed and we are compelled to embrace a new reality. One minute we were going about our normal lives, the next minute we are forced to change the way we live, the way we communicate, and the way we socially interact. It is important to note that a sudden interference of this magnitude will impact greatly on one’s well being so it is necessary to identify and adopt new and productive ways to cope in order to maintain one’s sanity.

Before the pandemic, I worked at least three days a week from home and they were usually very productive days, since the pandemic I have found myself feeling a little lost and I believe it has something to do with the sudden realization that I am no longer working from home out of choice but rather as an order, in many ways it feels like my freedom has been taken away from me and that has caused me to experience a range of different emotions.

The first week of the lockdown was productive, I finished an online course, I started to create my online fitness course and also created five new smoothie recipes. But by the second week of the pandemic, I started to experience low productivity and generally started to feel some discomfort about the loss of my freedom, particularly when I ran out of fruits and I couldn’t go out to replace them. It was at that moment I realized there was a need to stop and address these issues. They were clearly disrupting my daily activities and making it harder to go through the days seamlessly.

With the high level of uncertainty on when the lockdown will be over, the stress builds up even more. You begin to get concerned about issues within your mind, within the house, around the neighborhood, around the country, and the world at large. Things like the mileage of your resources, security due to the current state of unrest all over the country, etc, begin to cause you stressful days and sleepless nights.

The first thing I did to help me regain some level of control over the situation was to work on my mind. I noticed that my productivity dropped because I had been consuming so much of the news which was feeding my fear and crippling my drive and focus. Another thing I did after cutting down drastically on watching the news, I started Instagram live workout sessions to support others by helping them keep fit from the comfort of their homes. This has helped me stay fit while also being of service to others. I also assigned tasks to each day, ranging from trying out a new recipe, reading a book, working on my online course, and also keeping my relationships alive through video calls. I allowed myself some playtime where I watch some TV and relax.

I still check up the news but only for a short time per day so I am not totally out of touch. I focus on the things within my control and also keep in touch with my neighbors as we help each other through these tough times. I believe that focusing on what you can do about a situation helps a lot more than focusing on the bad news and panicking about it.

While I recommend these strategies because they helped me, I also recognize that we are different. The situation is worse for some than others and sadly so. But I hope this helped you one way or another.  It would be great to hear from you. Tell me how you are coping with the current situation and what steps you are taking to get through these times.

Take care and Stay safe.