Today is the first full day of Aubrey and I staying home in response to the current pandemic.
The last week has been a time of alertness, awareness, and preparation. A time for collecting supplies- primarily food and entertainment. A time for listening to the news and allowing each new level of altered reality to seep into my consciousness. A time for waiting and receiving instructions- from local authorities, health officials, school districts, employers.
Now is the moment for stillness. To take a breath. To reflect. To watch and wait. To be well.
There are many people right now who don’t get to take a break, at least not yet. Healthcare workers and political leaders are under a lot of strain. Managers and directors in all sectors are still in the process of making a lot of unprecedented and difficult decisions. Many people in many professions are asking themselves, “How can I continue to serve my community and my clients? What new systems or methods can I use or create? What new needs are arising that I can find a way to address?”
There are others who are under the strain of family or health concerns. Some who have contracted the virus and are fighting it. Some who suffer from other viruses or other health concerns and may not be receiving enough care, or may be scared of what the future holds. There are people who don’t have enough food right now. People who don’t have a safe place to stay. People who are lonely, anxious, depressed. People who don’t have the option of leaving work and are exposing themselves to risk.
All of us still have a role to play in holding each other up. Finding new ways to meet old and emergent needs. Checking in on each other. Reaching out when and how we can, in ways that are simple and safe.
But the primary directive to all of us right now is the same as it always should be: take care of yourself. The best way to support the healthcare system, the people who are sick, the people who are at risk, is to stay home and care for your own needs.
In our efforts towards managing our own wellness, Aubrey and I are following a schedule that I created.
The goal of the schedules is to balance mental tasks and housework with exercise, creative activities, and leisure time. I am the kind of person who can start a job and keep working at it way too long until I don’t have time to complete other goals for the day. Or I will walk around the house feeling stressed about all the things that need to be done until I collapse in a pile of cookies and coloring trying to get my mind back. Also, when I am stressed about trying to complete my own tasks, I despise the added task of trying to motivate an 11-year-old to complete her tasks as well.
With the current plan we each have three lists of suggested activities to choose from.
We have two time slots in the morning and two in the afternoon. We choose an activity from each list to put into three of the time slots, whichever time slots we choose. The fourth time slot is free choice, or can be left blank to allow for unstructured time or time to finish tasks that didn’t get completed in the allotted time. The start and end times are not rigid, they are just guidelines.
The lists are also not rigid, they are starting suggestions. We can add new activities as needed or desired. As you can see, 4 pm is social time, which is when we get to text friends, check social media, call a neighbor, or video chat with extended family. My goal is to not look at the news until that time. We both have limited to no screen time until that time of day. (Exceptions made for blogging, work, homework, or projects.)
My plan is to blog regularly to report on how the schedules are going, how we are spending our time, what we are reading or listening to, as well as my reflections on the current events. I invite you to read along with us on this wellness journey, and let me know your responses or what you are up to. I hope you all are well. What are your current challenges? What are your hopes for the coming weeks? What do you feel thankful for? What concerns you?
Be well, my friends. Accept the moments of peace in the midst of the chaos. Take care of yourselves. You are valuable.
Angie Gustafson 