Towards What We Can Control
The days that define this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic are accompanied by many feelings, thoughts, and perhaps even new perspectives. I know I have a few.
Watching the calendar and not knowing when our normal will be back is a surreal feeling so I’ve made a conscious effort to shift our family’s focus away from what we can’t control and towards what we very much can. It took a while to get into this rhythm of our new normal but like so many things, it came with time.
I have a new sense of gratitude. I now realize there are gifts to be found in our ordinary moments — things that I would have written off as the motions of the day. I feel a new sense of gratitude for my drives to work. I feel it for my husband who keeps our family —and our ducks — in a row, and for having a career I absolutely love that fills my cup with remarkable people. I appreciate the extra time with my children — it’s our most valuable currency! More importantly I am grateful for our health, our lives and the countless selfless healthcare professionals that risk theirs everyday to ensure we come out on the other side of this.
What have we been doing with all of these newfound hours in the day? We get intentional about how we spend them, while doing our part in maintaining social distancing. We’ve made a list of everything we can control, along with things we had longed to do but never found the right time. Here are a few of our top favourites.
- Remember that book that your partner got you from Christmas 2016? Yes, it’s still good. Better late than never!
- Move your body once a day and make it fun! Ideas include family hikes; long bike rides (we found some quiet routes); virtual yoga; online exercise classes; long runs; and social distancing walks with a loved one. Emotion comes from motion — be mindful of how your mental energy shifts after you get the blood pumping. It’s a gift!
- Do you have one room in your house with a colour you can’t stand? Now is the time to paint it! So far we’ve redone the first floor of our home — something we’ve always wanted to do!
- Board games. I never thought I would be dealt so many hands of Crazy Eights, Monopoly, Sorry and Yahtzee, yet here I am. It brings us all together and for that I’m thankful.
- You didn’t think I would get through this without mentioning our skin, did you?! This is a good time to edit and reevaluate your skin care regimen. If you’re anything like me, you love your HydraFacials, your Botox, your fillers and your lasers. Your skin may be missing visits to the clinic (rest assured we miss you, too) and you may be left feeling a bit desperate to get back that glow that you’re so used to but remember that a proper skin care routine with the right products can maintain the dermal health that goes hand in hand with amazing results. Remember what I said about focusing on what we can control!? You’ve got this!
As we continue to fight this crisis together, we can take comfort in the knowledge that we have faced and overcome difficulties in the past, and so we shall again. Crises are always followed by opportunities — it is up to us to find these silver linings.
We will all be together soon. Until then to you, your family, loved ones and your skin — stay healthy!
Jovanna
Jovanna and her family