What I have learned so far during COVID-19
The last day I worked out side of the home was March 16. I will be returning to the studio next Monday, June 8. I haven’t kept track of how many days that is (thought about counting on a calendar, but that seems like a lot of work); roughly 2 1/2 months. Initially, I was scared. I didn’t know what this would mean for my business, the health of my family, our city, province and world as a whole. I listened and watched a lot of news for the first few days, and then realized this was not healthy for me. I settled on checking headlines in the morning and late afternoon when Saskatchewan released their information. My business forced me to pivot and adjust to online delivery, which kept me busy and focussed on something other than news. I have settled into a new “routine” and that routine will change again next week, when I return to work outside the home. This has me thinking about what I have learned or recognized over the past couple of months. In the early days, it didn’t seem like a lot, as showering & choosing to wear something other than sweats, had to be scheduled into my day! This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just a few things that come to mind when reflecting over the last few months.
I have not missed being super busy or over scheduled. I enjoyed the slower pace & think my mind and body did as well. I feel rested (most of the time). Rushing home from work to eat quickly and run off to my or my daughter’s activities, doesn’t happen anymore. Flexibility is the norm. I hope I will remember this peaceful feeling when life does start to slowly get busier, and learn that it is ok to say “no” and protect my boundaries & prioritize self-care.
I feel badly for my children and all the young people, who are desperately missing their friends, the social connections that school & extra curricular activities provide. Graduates, not able to experience the grad they have thought about for years. I miss socializing at will, but feel as a grown adult, and years of life experience behind me, I am better positioned to accept the reality of living through a pandemic (I don’t like it-but can accept it is out of my control). The reality that life for our school & University aged children will not return to normal in the fall, is inevitable. This is really hard for our kids. My heart aches for them. It is truly one of those times as parents, when we need to realize we can’t make everything better for them, but need to focus on helping them find a way to deal with their feelings and discover strength & resilience they maybe didn’t know they had.
I hate laundry. I realize it is one of the easiest chores going- you just dump everything into a magic box and walk away for 40 minutes. Come back and move everything to another magic box and walk away for another 40 minutes. I don’t iron, so very few of my clothes need to be hung to dry. Then the dreaded folding and putting away. Maybe that’s the part I don’t like. Brett says he finds laundry very satisfying. What??? Nothing about laundry is satisfying to me. Truth be told I have always hated laundry…not just under quarantine. I would rather vacuum, dust or even clean the bathroom! I taught my girls to do their own laundry when they were in grade 6 and confession….I have never done Brett’s laundry. So, yes, I am complaining about only doing one person’s laundry, my own. Apparently I am good at delegating work, perhaps I could outsource??
I am extremely grateful for my health & life. Our life has allowed my husband and I to work from home, although in a decreased capacity and our kids to continue their education in an online format. We have never had to worry about where we were going to sleep or where our next meal was coming from. We are healthy and safe. We never had to decide whether to go to work and risk contracting COVID or stay home but not be able to pay our bills. We live with much privilege and I don’t want to ever take that for granted.
I am in the health & fitness business, but I have not “worked out” like a fiend. I aimed for 3-4 dedicated exercise sessions per week; sometimes it was a walk, bike or jog on the treadmill, followed by a few sets of weights. Probably no more than 35 minutes max. Sometimes, it was a few push ups or dips while I was waiting for the dog to do his business outside! (and that was it for the day). I did reconfirm that daily movement makes me feel better, but it doesn’t have to be intense to be valuable. I maybe lost a little strength over the past couple of months, but not a lot. I feel good. I am not exhausted and still able to participate in all activities of my life that I want; except now running because I have a shitty, unstable ankle (long story- maybe another blog) check out this link…sums it up nicely https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey4WSb-BVDQ
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a very funny show and I enjoyed watching it with my family…a lot. I love spending time with my family. I know I am not always (or probably ever) my kids’ first choice of who they would like to “hang with”, but I am soaking up every minute I can.
Change is hard, but can be good. I learned how to create a web-site. Re-think my business plan and delivery model. Certain medical appointments can be handled over the phone; saving a lot of time.
I don’t truly need very many material things to be safe, healthy & happy.
My clients are the best- thank you for you continued support & encouragement.
I need to continue to be my authentic self. I don’t love having to have an active social media presence- I am not particularly good at it, and it doesn’t bring me a sense of pride or satisfaction, but I know from a business perspective it is important. I will do my best, and sometimes probably go MIA. I won’t filter my pictures, because I am who I am and I am proud of who I am. I live a balanced healthy life and hope others will relate to this approach and find my posts educational & supportive. In the words of my wise friend, I will continue to be perfectly imperfect….
