How Are You Now?

One day soon, we’ll all be looking in our rear view mirrors at the COVID-19 pandemic.

We will have stories to tell our grandchildren, or great children about the toilet paper hoarding, standing outside in a line six feet apart to enter a grocery store, the yeast shortage and the time where there were no sports to watch or participate in, due to social distancing. We are all just trying to deal with the state things are in right now, and we can take comfort in the fact that someday, this will all just be a moment in history.

But as the days go on, it is normal to feel more anxious. As the global tallies rise, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. For many, anxieties are running high in these unprecedented times — we all need to find something to help us cope with the struggles of working from home, being unemployed or still having to work, what to do with our children, handwashing 101, hunting for lysol wipes and mourning the loss of our false lashes, manicures and seeing our brows and roots gone wild.

There is no right or wrong way to survive a pandemic. Now more than ever, in these unprecedented times, we can benefit greatly from an outlet. Baking, laughter, yoga, puzzles … playing Animal Crossing, you figure out what works for you. Take a few minutes or an hour, whatever you can spare, and just be yourself or do something for yourself or do something kind for someone else. Send a text to a friend who lives alone, going out for supplies - post on your Social does anyone need anything, clean out your kids games and pass on something they don’t use to someone else. Sometimes when we can’t give to ourselves, it can feel good to give to someone else. A couple of our favorite organizations in YYC that need giving right now are :

Fresh Routes has started an emergency food hamper gofundme check out the details : HERE

We feel we are just starting this journey and here is what we have learned so far:

Aim for survival not perfection.

This especially applies to us who have children at home to entertain and home school. Don’t compare yourself to others on social media. If you have a schedule, are making pinterest worthy crafts or fails, baking ( or maybe burning) culinary confections or are teaching your kids how to do the dishes. There is no right or wrong way to do this. Some of us are just trying to survive and refrain from crying and having wine time in the pantry, while trying to figure out how to do grade 10 honors math.

Food

You probably shouldn’t live on chips, the odd carrot stick and coffee while self-isolating at home. (No judgment if you do, we’re all just trying to do our best.)

It is okay if your kids snacks don’t consist of three kinds of fruit, gourmet sandwiches cut and shaped into characters and animals perfectly arranged with a homemade mini muffin on a china plate. Did you know that apple crumble with whip cream is a complete nutritious breakfast - and so is left over pizza!

Go wild at lunch time and introduce kids ( or husbands) to the forbidden school time lunch of days gone by - a peanut butter sandwich, maybe if you are feeling generous, throw a couple apple slices or fruit snacks their way.

Some people are using the time to go keto, or get to summer weight, or do a cleanse. That’s okay, and it is also okay to abandon your former strict eating plans for stress eating or snacking. It would be great if you used those cravings to eat more fruits and veggies, but if you don’t, that is why leggings were invented. Have patience and understanding with yourself.

 Expectations

How can you survive all that this virus has unexpectedly thrown at us? Our worlds are upside down. We have added worries and financial stress that we could have never planned for.

Lower your expectations, and lower the expectations of your kids while you’re at it.

It is okay to cry in the shower and have a breaking moment - to scream into your pillow - “ I can’t do this! I can’t be home with my kids! This is too hard. I can’t homeschool, work and cook 17 times a day!!!“

It’s okay to be sick and tired of washing your floor for the millionth time this week, and dream of a live in cook & maid, because you are at the end of your rope. It is okay to put off organizing and have a messy kitchen, NO ONE IS VISITING you anyways.

Some kids are doing homework every day, great. If your kid(s) are like mine they are spending the minimal amount of time on school work and just might be on Tik Tok, Snap Chat for the entire duration with breaks of Netflix and X box, mixed in with shooting pucks and working out and you know what? They’re going to be OK. You do what you can do as a parent and what works for you and your family.

No matter how surreal this may all seem, we’re in this together.

Be kind, wash your hands and #staythefhome