Growing With ‘Rona

We are into Week 8 of a situation none of us expected or asked for. Our lives in every aspect have been changed by forces outside of our control. The isolation many of us feel that may have started as a refreshing pause in our otherwise hectic schedules, is now becoming more like an unwanted burden growing heavier by the day. So much is out of our control it's sometimes hard to feel in control of anything. I have reminded myself several times over the course of the last several weeks that my biggest challenge is often between my ears – it's how we think or allow outside forces to influence our thinking. I needed this reminder again today and thought I would share it in case any of you needed a reminder, too.

Instead of thinking about all the losses we're experiencing courtesy of the Coronavirus CoViD-19 pandemic, we can engage a growth mindset and focus on what we can do to improve our headspace during this time. Here are a few examples:

Fixed Mindset

• I have to stay at home away from my workplace and colleagues.

• I can't use my commute home to unwind after a long day.

• I can't go to the gym to workout stress and keep in shape. I can't go out to eat with my spouse, family, friends, etc. and have to cook every.single.day.

• I can't effectively balance the demands of home schooling my children who are all different ages.

• The news makes me so anxious with all the uncertainty and bad news.

Growth Mindset

• I get to continue working while finding new ways to connect with my colleagues.

• I get to try meditating, walking/hiking at the end of the day.

• I get to try different types of fitness and use nature as my own gym.

• I get to learn new recipes and try different foods.

• I get to explore new methods of learning with my kids. Not all lessons come from a formal lesson plan.

• I get to catch up on all the shows on Netflix, DVR, Hulu, and Amazon Prime I've always wanted to watch!

There are hundreds more examples I am sure but you get the idea. Let's try to focus on what we can do rather than on what is limiting our thoughts and activities. Make the most of a time in our lives that feels very "least" in some moments. We are gifted the same 1440 minutes in a day whether we are social distancing or not. What we do with those minutes is entirely up to us.

As Vivian Greene wrote -“Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain.”