How will you end this year better than you started?

How will you emerge from the pandemic stronger than you started?

This week is a great time to think about both questions!

TL;DR

A state of "flow" is when you lose yourself in an activity—one that is challenging , enjoyable, and lets you monitor progress toward a specific goal.

At least 40% of people surveyed have reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental health.

Achieving a “flow state” by focusing on positive activities may be important in supporting your mental health and building resilience during these months of isolation. Researchers (in a study published last month) found that people who achieved a state of flow felt less lonely and more positive during isolation in the COVID pandemic.

This is my most recent drawing. I love working in charcoal; it’s loose, forgiving (read:erasable!), messy, expressive…

In the words of one of my wise therapist colleagues, “If you can’t give yourself some grace when you are in a shut down state, when can you?”

It is so important to know and acknowledge those days of really low energy and honor them. They are ok. I know I will wake up on another day with more activated energy, more resolve, and more motivation.

What tools do you need to get through a winter? To walk or drive safely on treacherous surfaces, and then to shelter safely? What do you need to survive winter?

Warm clothing…snow tires…boots,crampons/skis/snowshoes, walking poles. Salt for the sidewalks. Shelter, firewood, good books (or Netflix) for long evenings.

Feather your own nest with the tools you will need. Most of us know the ritual of winter preparations. Feather your nest.

And then, think; what tools do you need to survive times of stress and loss, to walk across the surface of anxiety and grief without sinking to your waist?

How do you set your intentions for your life? How do you keep track of everything in a crazy multitasking world? How do you make sure you are paying attention to your big goals when you are drowning in the day to day details? Well, if you’re like me, you do it with colored markers, and mindful attention, and humorous self-reflection, and a cup of coffee along the way. And with a bullet journal.

Resiliency - it looks different on everyone.  We are all feeling the fatigue of the prolonged stress of the COVID pandemic. Social isolation, uncertainty about the future, masking, loss of our routines and joys. It is exhausting. Trying to be “resilient” during this time can feel uneven. Give yourself some compassion.