The COVID Emotional Rollercoaster and the Path Back to Productivity
Our household is now mid-way through week 7 of physical distancing and it has been HARD! Like crazy hard and the word rollercoaster is a perfect way to describe my emotions. I am taking the time to write this help me process, but also to let others know that it is okay to not be okay. It’s okay to feel like a shit show, have unproductive days and weeks and generally feel like you are failing at life. This isn’t just pandemic related, although I am sure that more of us are feeling it now amidst this global pandemic.
My biggest piece of advice is that when you are having a day, or a week, or a month when you feel off, is to be patient with yourself. There is no such thing as perfection. For women especially we pay attention to what ‘she’ is doing. We gauge our lives by the lives of others way too often and that makes us feel like we don’t measure up. My focus on social media and in person, is to not put a filter on what I share. To show up authentically as myself. I share the good, the bad, and the ugly. Life is not all roses and daisies, and the honest truth is that those people that present that to the world probably really need our support. I hope me sharing genuinely helps you to know that we all have times when things don’t go as planned.
Last week is the first week I felt like I had a productive week. It was the first week I have used my planner since March 9th, and I really love my planner. Here is the Coles Notes version of how I have been feeling since physical distancing hit the Andrew-Wilker household.
😑 Weeks 1 and 2 - This is temporary, it's fine, we can do this for three weeks, no big deal. I can keep my shit together. I was doing a decent job of working out but a not so good job of eating. Work was mostly business as usual but nothing extra was getting done.
😕 Week 3 - OMG, this completely freaking sucks, maybe if I watch TV and eat chips and cookies all day things will miraculously get back to normal. Still working out, mainly because I had a challenge with a friend-I am a little competitive! Was really only showing up in my business about 40%.
😢 Weeks 4 and 5 - Okay, is this over yet? No, maybe cake and Netflix will help. No, maybe cookies and chips. Maybe if I just camp out on the couch and ignore everything and only show up about 15% in my business, that will help—it didn’t.
🙂Week 6 - I turned a corner and that I felt like I was hitting my stride in some parts of my life. I filled out my planner and made plans for projects to tackle and all the things I can do to show up 110% in my business to help YOU. I was FIRED UP the weekend before week 6 started and had HUGE goals to do all the damn things. I was going to work out every day for an hour and accomplish so much in my business. Then my logical brain caught up with my ambition and told me to pump the brakes. I knew that if I tried to do everything at once, I would end the week feeling like shit and would most likely end up back on the couch with my friends Netflix and cookies. So, I set three small, manageable goals.
· Move my body for 30 minutes/day
· Don’t eat after 7pm
· Bed by 11pm
Now in week 7, I am continuing with those three goals, and adding in the goal of getting in three workouts. I plan to move the needle a little more each week to get back on track, so I am setting myself up to be successful. Small changes every week will get me back on track.
Trying to do too much all at once tends to cause a cycle of disappointment that holds you back. Small consistent steps in the right direction is the way to make changes that actually stick. What small change can you make this week to get you where you want to be, in your life, with your money or with your health?
I’ll leave you with a parting thought. If you are having a rough day, or week, or month. Take the time that you need. ❤️ There is no 'right timeline' to feel 'normal' or 'productive' in this pandemic.
