The Tale of 6 Weeks

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How is week 6 of social distancing feeling? If you started practicing our mandated social distancing practices the same week I did, on March 16th, this is week 6.  I think it's important to acknowledge that… 6 WEEKS you guys!!! We’ve made it through 6 weeks, doesn’t that seem like a big deal?! We have rallied as a community, city, and nation to choose social distancing to protect our health care workers, our loved ones and most vulnerable, and to flatten the curve. I think that deserves a bit of a celebration.
Early post jam… because its needed - Kool & The Gang - Celebration.
Welcome back from the celebration. Ok so let’s be real these past 6 weeks have been…. Different. Challenging. Crazy. New. Uncertain. Boring. Nerve Wracking. Confusing. Scary. Empowering. Strange. And so many other things.
It was last weekend after I went home to see my family and my dad said, "welcome to week 6," that I was like whoa, has it been that long? So, I started to think about what these past 6 weeks have looked like for me, how I showed up, how I fell down, and where I failed and where I succeeded. These past 6 weeks for me have felt like 2 years, and at the same time like 2 weeks. Anyone else?
Below I shed some light on how I’ve adjusted and then I leave you with some tips that might influence your day to day in a more positive way.
Week 1 – My first week is summed up in my very first blog post, One Week in the Life of COVID-19. Every single day I felt something different and only made it through each day because of something else.
Week 2 – Adjusting to the “new normal.” Keyword about week two was adjusting. I was struggling with a new schedule. When did I get up? When did I work out? How did I set myself up to work from home? Productivity was also way down and this nagged at me. For any of you who know me well you know I’m a busy bee, and always have a to-do list. But this week the simplest things seemed like a struggle and my brain just wasn’t firing like I was used to. It was a week that my habits went out the window and I started to feel myself sliding….
Week 3 – The slide continued… by the middle of week 3, I had a complete meltdown. I had been ignoring how I was truly feeling and how my life was changing. I was pushing positivity out on all of my social media feeds and in conversations with friends, but I was denying that my life was also changed. And change is hard you guys, for all of us. I spiraled in week 3 and fell back on my poor habits and coping mechanisms because I ignored the early warning signs.
Week 4 – Get Back up! Week three was the kick in the butt I needed to show up for my life. I had let my positive habits fall to the wayside which allowed me to feel out of control, but week 4 I prioritized my habits. WHAT A FREAKING DIFFERENCE you guys. Bringing my habits back into my day was a game-changer. These were habits like getting up at 6am, meal prepping, regular workouts, and “power hours” of concentrated work. I felt like myself again.
Unfortunately, week 4 also coincided with symptoms of COVID-19, a simple runny nose, and a sore throat. Thankfully my symptoms did not worsen but it did mean I would not be spending Easter with my family. My symptoms though very mild were still unknown and the risk of bringing home the virus to my family was not an option. I spent a lot of time with me over Easter weekend and I chose joy rather than loneliness… and you know what…I like me, I’m a pretty cool chick, so it wasn’t so bad 😉
Week 5 – My habits were back on track; I was coming out of isolation and I was feeling normal. YES, I’m going to use the word normal. I had found my groove in my evenings, in my workouts, AND in my workflow. I was killing this new lifestyle. Take that corona!  
Enter Week 6 – I’m alive with ENERGY but also completely sporadic and unfocused ha-ha. The sun was shining for us almost all week and was definitely one reason for my shift in energy. It uplifted me and gave me energy, but in turn, I also struggled on how to process it. My body and mind were buzzing, so the task of focusing at a computer, or staring at spreadsheets seemed way harder than it should have.
Recognizing this energy in myself was/is exciting but it also created a confusing state. What do I do with this energy? How can I use this and harness this to do good things, build community, and achieve my goals? I started to ask myself, ok what’s next? 

What I’ve truly learned over these past 6 weeks is how important mindset is. I’ve written about the 10 Things I’m Doing to Stay Positive before, and I realize when I’m not practicing these things I find everything just a little bit, or a lot harder.
Our daily choices and actions feed our mindset. Our mindset is a powerful and vital tool that can serve us in unimaginable ways and will get us through the next <undisclosed amount of time> of social distancing.
So what can you do to feed your mindset?
  1. FEED YOUR MIND. The media we consume feeds our thoughts and feelings. It’s important to stay informed, yes, but notice how you feel before and after you watch the news, before and after you go on Twitter or Facebook. Try to pay attention to what is serving you and lifting you up and is creating a anxiety and more uncertainty. 
  2. GET ORGANIZED. How about a little Spring cleaning? Try to focus on something you can tangible do and complete. Clean out that pantry, the garage, plant your first garden. There is never a lack of things to organize 😉 This is helpful because it will give you a sense of accomplishment when you're done, and you will feel like YOU did something.
  3. PLAY THE HIGHLIGHT REEL NOT THE BLOOPERS – You get to choose the thoughts and phrases that play in your head. So instead of focusing on the news or allllll the things you don’t have answers to remind yourself what you have done, and how strong you are for getting through these past 6 weeks.
  4. GET OUTSIDE! Breathe the fresh air, move your body, feel the sun on your face. Take the break we all need from the walls of our own home and get outside.
  5. CHOOSE GRATITUDE AND FIGHT FOR JOY. Even when it's hard. If we can focus on the good things in our life, and the things that make us smile and bring us joy we will never lose sight of what’s really important.

Remember if we don’t change what isn’t working in our lives, we will continue to live the same day over and over again.
Ok its time for your Party Jam! Have a great weekend. 

YouTube >> 1,2,3,4 – Alan Doyle
Spotify >> 1,2,3,4 – Alan Doyle

If you’re online reach out to me on social, say hi 😊
Instagram: @mssarastepa
Facebook: @SaraStepa

With so much gratitude,

-S


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