Finding PEACE and Direction During Isolation
Let’s face it. Life is a little crazy for all of us right now. There’s concern for our health and our loved ones. There’s working from home and not working at all. There’s kids at home that need care, attention, and direction. Each of us has our own experience of this pandemic. Regardless of what that experience is, there’s a lot of added pressure in our lives.
So what can we do about it? How can we find a little peace and direction?
I put together five words to remember as we navigate this time...and by the way, it’s a nice little acronym, too.
Patience
We’re in uncharted territory right now. Figuring out our new normal takes time along with some trial and error. With maybe the exception of those that have been prepping for the zombie apocalypse, we’re new to this. You can’t expect yourself to have it all together. You can’t expect anyone else to have it all together either. Try to have a little extra patience for yourself--and others--as we all figure this out.
Engagement
This whole isolation thing can be, well, isolating. With a little effort, it doesn’t have to be. There’s FaceTime, video chat apps like Marco Polo, and video conferencing such as Zoom. Yes, it may not be the same as meeting someone for coffee or going to a networking event, but you can still have that face-to-face interaction. Try looking for opportunities to engage. You need this. I need this. If nothing else, we could all use someone not currently living with us that we can talk to...about life, frustrations, worries. Whether you turn to a friend, a support group, your mother, a coach, a therapist, what matters is that you have someone...preferably more than one someones. We need each other. We are not alone in this.
Attunement
This goes right along with engagement. Attunement is simply being in tune with yourself, someone else, and/or the world around you. When you talk with someone, you not only hear and respond to what they’re saying, you are able to empathize. You see the world through their eyes and understand. I’ve started to see the result of attunement more and more in recent days: delivering food and supplies to the sick and eldery, thanking the delivery drivers and grocery stockers who are working long hours to help make this distancing/quarantining possible, making online purchases from local, small businesses to help them stay afloat during this time. Look for opportunities to tune into:
What you need for your own mental and physical health and make it a priority.
The needs of the people around you and look for ways to help support them.
The needs of your community, your city, your country and what you can do.
Consistency
As humans, we function as a series of routines and habits. Right now, those habits have been interrupted. We aren’t going to work. Our kids aren’t going to school. So, try creating a new schedule for yourself and your family. As a productivity coach, I highly recommend time blocking (see Time Blocking 101: 4 Tips to Help You Get Started). Maybe the morning is school work time. Maybe the family cleans the house for an hour on Fridays. Maybe your kids get screen time for an hour or two each afternoon while you do some work. Yes, things will be different and probably less than ideal, but consistency allows you to take back some control. It will alleviate some of the uncertainty.
This is also the perfect time to try out some new habits: family game night, YouTube art class, or exercise videos. Maybe you’ll find something that will continue long after things have returned to “normal.”
Expectations
Lower the bar. You can’t be expected to function as productively as you usually do right now. So take the pressure off. See this time as an opportunity to learn and grow. We’ll make mistakes, and that’s okay. If you have kids at home that require constant engagement from you (me!), your work schedule may look a little different. That’s okay. Just try not to put that pressure on yourself--or others--to show up how you did before.
Deep breath. Just focus on PEACE: Patience, Engagement, Attunement, Consistency, and Expectations. You’ve got this.
If you want to talk through what your schedule and your business looks like during this time, I’m here. Click here to schedule a free one-hour clarity session through Zoom.