Thank you, Covid-19. So far this month, I have cleaned my house throughly, learned to be a 2nd grade substitute teacher, organized every cupboard and drawer and found novel ways to workout in my house. I’ve also been visited by waves of anxiety, overeating, drinking more than usual, sadness verging on depression and too much time to revisit old regrets. Thank you, coronavirus. It’s been an experience.
So there are pros and cons, to put it blandly. I am someone who escapes through weightlifting and my fitness thrives when I have a goal. But as competitions are postponed and cancelled, I had a ‘what’s the point?’ moment. And maybe, in some area of your life, you’ve felt that same.
Meanwhile, social media has become my only contact with my former lifestyle. Friends are working out at home, baking, doing amazing things with their kids. I find myself, in the afternoon, scrolling around on my phone, drinking wine and thinking to myself, ‘Damn, girl, you’re lazy!’, when up comes some meme. You know the kind. Some statement about how ‘hustlers’ are using this time to evolve, grow, level up, or whatever.
The attitudes in these memes hit me a little close to the bone. Like a lot of people, I started this isolation thing trying to be optimistic. There’s so much I can do with my time now! And I have been able to do different things. But to be totally honest, I haven’t felt same the ‘hustle’ in me. I started to think that I was wasting time. It felt like I was just standing still. Doing nothing. Partly because I felt like I was just waiting for my workplace and lifting places to open again. Also partly because I felt like I didn’t know what I was working towards now. I felt like without progressing towards something I wasn’t moving anywhere – maybe even backwards.
But here’s my reality check, and I’ll share it with you, in case the whole virus thing isn’t propelling you to greatness, either. I don’t have the same motivators, the same environments, and, no, I don’t have the same hustle – but that’s ok. This is a global pandemic with wide reaching social consequences. While we are dealing with threats to physical health and our lifestyles are changed, we might expect to find that maintaining our mental health becomes more of a struggle. Read further about Covid-19 and mental health in my article here: https://cincoranchcounseling.com/covid-19-and-mental-health/
Who can tell you how are we supposed to cope in these unprecedented challenges? No one. We might be feeling as though we should be doing something, using the time to make more of ourselves.
This is the deal – standing still is not the same thing as doing nothing. You might be waiting, thinking, deciding – going through all the internal battles that are essential before making a step. You might need the time to decompress. You might be just trying to make it through the day with more pressing needs like how to apply for unemployment or keep working during the pandemic.
But standing still is not nothing. Like a seed in the soil, it’s never doing nothing. It’s changing everyday, and one day it’ll spring out of the ground. Some seeds grow fast, some take time. But rushing them won’t help. You’re the same. You might be branching out and blossoming right now. Good for you! You might not be, like me, but with the right conditions and at the right time we will.
In the meantime, stay active, everyone. Take care of your health!
A note on Mental Well-being : Get extra support if you need it. If your mood is suffering or becoming unmanageable, reach out for help. If you have a support network, keep in contact. If not, many counselors are offering web-based therapy. The Counseling Center of Cinco Ranch currently has reduced rates on TeleHealth sessions with Licensed Counselors and Interns. To arrange a session, click here: https://cincoranchcounseling.com/appointment-request/ If there is an immediate risk to life or safety for you or someone else, please phone 911.
jess johns-green 