Here is my most latest article for Lifeeffects.teva which builds on my recent post about staying sane. I know you have many choices from which to take your staying sane advice from, and I appreciate you choosing me (assuming you take my advice).
What Will Persist?
I’m starting to think about the things that I hope will persist after the pandemic is over such as my favorite Italian restaurant and ice cream store continuing to provide home delivery! I also hope that people accept and adopt some of the multitude of suggestions for staying sane and continue to use them after this is over — the world may be a happier, healthier place!
My daughter and I have had several conversations about how every generation has its one or two life defining events that stick with you throughout your life, and that this will be one of hers. These events give us perspective and help us mature, maybe too soon, but one positive that may come from them all is that we learn to be resilient.
Resilience is a keystone for being a capable functioning human being. It allows you to persevere and overcome challenges throughout your life. I suppose I’m old enough now to have some perspective on my life, and looking back I can see that learning to be resilient at an early age is one trait that helped me not succumb to anxiety or depression. Resilience is not a panacea; it doesn’t help me deal with the resulting anger or fear of a re-occurrence but it allows me to power through the situation and feel confident that I will survive.
What staying sane behaviors will you adopt and continue with after the dark episode ends? These shouldn’t be New Year’s resolutions that are soon forgotten. These should be behavioral changes that stick, mostly because you have a lot of time right now to practice them. Please tell me about how you’re staying sane and what you expect with be a permanent change.
