When you face ongoing challenges, it can be hard to imagine life being any different. If that was ever true, it feels even more so now in the midst of a global pandemic. Here in my part of the United States, we are two weeks into shutdowns of schools and non-essential businesses, with people shifting to work-from-home where allowable. Yesterday the President of the United States announced that self-distancing measures are being extended another month. For now.
In reality, we have no idea how long this will last or how large the impact will be on our society. And that uncertainty deepens the struggle of living day to day under these challenging circumstances. How do we cope?
I read an article that suggests two strategies I believe very much represent what I call “living the bucket list life.” That is: appreciating the now, and looking toward the future.
The article states: “[p]eople who manage to balance living in the moment with planning for the future are best able to weather daily stress without succumbing to negative moods, according to a new study by researchers from North Carolina (NC) State University.”
The daily stress we’re all under right now comes from doing our part to prevent the Coronavirus from both infecting our families and spreading to those in our community. It’s a very real burden. Thankfully, as this article suggests, we also have the power to cope with the uncertainty and challenge of this pandemic. There are several things we can do to prevent hopelessness and depression from infecting our households as we face another 30 days of social distancing:
First, limit contact with negative inputs. STOP watching the news and looking at statistics on the spread of the Coronavirus. Or at least limit how often you take in the bad news. It infects your mental state and your spiritual equilibrium. If you are someone who prays, mitigate the effects of the bad news on your psyche by turning your concerns into specific prayers and releasing them to God, who has the ultimate control.
Then bolster your mental and spiritual health by living in the moments you have with your family NOW. Never again will you have so much time together, without the demands of outside activities. This is your chance to be making memories that stand out in vivid relief because of the extraordinary circumstances.
Second, give yourself and everyone around you a healthy dose of hope by looking to the future. Remind everyone, especially young children, that we won’t always be staying home and keeping our distance from others – that this is only a temporary state. Then take time to talk about what you look forward to doing when the danger of infection has passed. If you have a family bucket list already written, review it. If you don’t have one, why not put it together now, while you have the time to talk and dream together?
Stay safe. Take care of one another. And keep healthy both physically and mentally. We will get through this, and together we’ll celebrate our resilience and the preciousness of what transpired in our homes during these trying times.
My book, Family Bucket Lists: Bring More Fun, Adventure & Camaraderie Into Everyday Life offers age-appropriate questions for preschool through teen children and adults to guide you through the process of creating a list of things you want to do while your children are growing up (and beyond!). I have also created downloadable Family Bucket List Conversation Cards to make starting those conversations even simpler.
