Last week, I was speaking with a friend on the phone. I love her dearly and would do anything for her.
Almost.
She asked me for wellness advice. My response was a hard and fast, “No.”
You see, now is not the time.
I have watched with fascination as people online have reacted to the Global Pandemic in various ways.
- Some of us turn to humour.
- Some of us are consumed by grief.
- Some of us look for joy.
- Some of us are filled with anger.
- Some of us follow strict daily routines.
- Some of us struggle to get out of bed.
- Some of us throw ourselves into projects.
- Some of us create art.
- Some of us find comfort in household tasks.
- Some of us go for long runs.
- Some of us sleep our way through the day.
- Some of us are struggling to hold ourselves up.
It’s all valid.
We, during times of normalcy, have complex ways of handling anxiety, grief, or the unknown. On any given day during the best of times, our self-care routines will and should vary.
Now, when everything is upside down and inside out, attempting to give blanket advice undermines our own uniqueness. It overlooks our varied resourcefulness we are constantly tapping into just to make it through the day. It’s also negating the fact that our days are ridiculously dissimilar.
Some of us are working extended days as front-line workers. Some have just been laid off and find ourselves struggling to fill the hours. Some of us are in large, safe, homes close to our families. Some of us have none of these things.
Now is a time to embrace our own diverse coping mechanisms. They will look very different. And they should.
I write to many of you who are fellow educators, friends, and family. I am thinking of you and sending lots of love and healing your way.
However you chose to make it through COVID19, I honor you. Take care.
Lisa Bush is a writer, educator, and author of the book Teaching Well: How healthy, empowered teachers lead to thriving, successful classrooms. She is the creator of the Working Mom Wellness Podcast. To receive the latest wellness news from Lisa, sign up here.
Originally published at http://lisabush.ca on April 18, 2020.
