Getting through the wobbly moments..

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I have been shielding from my family in my bedroom for five weeks. I’m nearing the end now, with just a few days to go and wow, what a journey it has been. (If anyone is interested, there’s quite a few IGTV posts recording my journey over on www.instagram.com/my_stylishfriend)

Over the last five weeks I have managed to keep my chin up, my big girl pants on but I have also sobbed with helplessness (this has been a time when my three young children have so desperately needed their mummy and I have seen them struggle), I have been doubled up in pain, I have feared for my life and woken with nightmares pretty much every night. I have wondered why me, and why us?

But, I have smiled and I have laughed, I have looked on the bright side, I have made the most of the situation in the best ways I can (including moving my styling business online and helping clients remotely!). I have tried my best and reminded myself at any of those ‘wobbly’ moments of a few key things… Here are some that have helped me through:

From day one I said this was survival mode. This is not a ‘normal’ situation that any of us should have to deal with, so just getting through every day however we can, is a success. One day at a time.

I try not to worry about anything I can’t control. It’s ok to let stuff go and leave it outside my door. It doesn’t mean I don’t care.

We are way stronger and more adaptable than we believe and when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. (This was a big for me when I had to go to hospital two days in a row for an MRI scan and an operation!)

Feeling guilty about anything doesn’t really do any good. I shouldn’t feel bad about anything I can’t manage right now or beat myself up about what I think I should be doing versus what I am actually doing. I am trying not to be too hard on myself.

It’s ok for me to focus on the things that make me feel better right now and that help ME through. I’m the only one in my boat and who can see my end in sight.

People cope. We will get through this. It will have its challenges, sadnesses, losses and highs, but we will manage. I struggle most with this when I think of my children and what they have experienced this last five weeks, but that is now the past, we had no choice and we all managed the best we could. I can’t change it.

I can only look forward. My children will be ok, they will catch up on anything we haven’t been able to teach them and recover and grow from this little ‘blip’ in their lives. And in the big scheme of things, this is just that, especially for the little people… a blip.

This will all pass and good will come. We have the opportunity to decide what we want our new normal to look like, an opportunity to start carving out a new normal, a better normal for ourselves, our families, for people around the world a better normal for our planet.

Always look for the silver linings…