A crisis has a way of simplifying our lives by helping us see what matters most. This is a gift the coronavirus has given us.
I had started “clearing the decks” prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, prompted recently by two significant life experiences: I became a grandmother last October, and my 98-year-old father-in-law passed away last month. For 39 years, he had been like a father to me, after my own father died 40 years ago.
If you’ve missed seeing my weekly blog posts, it’s because I chose to take a break from writing so I could focus on other priorities. The COVID-19 outbreak has given me an opportunity to dive even deeper into exploring what matters most to me. I invite you to take this time to do the same.
Maybe this is the wake-up call that we all needed to jolt us into making desperately-needed changes in our lives. Once we get to the other side of this shared human experience — and we will get through it – I believe we will discover a better version of ourselves and of humanity. I feel heartened by the many acts of kindness, compassion and generosity that I’ve witnessed as humanity has come together during this global crisis.
The Gift of Time
Many of us have been given the gift of time – time away from our usual schedules and routines. We’ve been asked to stay at home for a while in order to defeat COVID-19. Our scientists and doctors have made clear what steps we need to take to slow and contain the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.
I’ll share seven ideas for how you can invest this new-found gift of time:
Clear your home of clutter that has been bugging you for years, and thoughtfully reorganize what’s left. For assistance with this, I’ve provided links to some free tip sheets, webinars and blog posts below.
- Complete house projects – clean up the yard, repaint or redecorate a room, set up a home office.
- Start a new hobby or learn a new skill. Many how-to online resources are available on just about any topic.
- Enjoy the great outdoors, such as walking, hiking, bike riding — while honoring the social distance guidelines to stay safe.
- Prepare home-cooked meals and sit down to eat as a family or couple.
- Spend time with those you love, either in person or by using apps such as Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime to stay connected. Here is a great article written by an epidemiologist about who you should and should not spend in-person time with.
- Begin a daily mindfulness practice. I’ve included links to two blogs about this below, as well as a guest blog on the power of collective meditation-prayer.
When our familiar structures and routines fall away, we come face-to-face with our fears and our limitations. It may feel uncomfortable for us to spend so much time with our partner, kids, or being at home alone with no other human contact. These unfamiliar experiences force us to grow as we’re pushed to the edge of what’s familiar to us.
Here are some tips and resources to help you cope with some of the limitations:
- If you live alone, here are a few tips on living in isolation, from Scott Kelly — a retired NASA astronaut who spent nearly a year in isolation on the International Space Station.
- If you are working from home, CNN has provided some tips on how to work from home without losing your sanity.
If you have children at home, media outlets and e-learning companies are opening up access to free kids’ content, tools and resources for parents who are struggling to entertain their kids at home while also working remotely. You’ll find some wonderful free learning videos here on YouTube, organized by age range.- If you are a teacher who is teaching from home, here is a temporary hub of information and tools to help teachers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
Outer vs. Inner Consciousness
Over the last two decades, our high-tech world has gradually pushed us farther apart. Now we are being abruptly forced to be physically together 24/7 as we stay at home. We’ve learned that experiencing advancements in technology — without also developing our own inner consciousness — has been brewing a recipe for disaster.
We can’t keep expanding and growing our outer world without expanding and growing our inner world. We need more conscious awareness of our impact on the planet, of those around us, and of our own health and well-being. We need to practice being more thoughtful, patient, and kind with others and with ourselves. We need to get back to treating each other with civility and respect. Right now, we’re learning how to develop these inner qualities that have all but disappeared from the high-tech world we live in today.
As a coach for more than 20 years, I’ve walked alongside clients through a variety of life crises — the death of a loved one, the loss of a job or business, a failed marriage, a drug-addicted family member, the diagnosis of a serious illness. I’ve done my best to provide useful strategies, resources and practical advice to help my clients see the light at the end of a dark tunnel. Today we are collectively experiencing the same need on a global scale.
Expanding our inner consciousness will provide the light we need to get through this dark tunnel.
My husband and daughter are both medical professionals in Seattle, so they are at higher risk for exposure to the coronavirus. We’ve decided as a family that we will practice social distancing to reduce the chances of spreading it. Even though we are not physically getting together, we’ve found meaningful ways to stay connected. Although it’s hard for us to be apart from our daughter, son-in-law and our precious granddaughter, Violet, the FaceTime app enables us to see them daily while also keeping a safe distance.
I am a certified Jack Canfield Success Principles coach, and I help people cut through the chaos and determine the steps they need to take to start getting better results in their life. If you would like an experienced Success Principles mentor to review your current situation, give you ideas on what you can do to overcome your current challenges, and create the life you truly want to live, let’s schedule a no-cost, no-pressure Discovery Call today.
Additional Resources:
As you’re spending more time at home and working to stay sane during the coronavirus pandemic, you might be able to find solace in Yale University’s mega-popular “happiness” course, which is available for FREE online through Coursera.
Kathy was interviewed by Bonnie McDonald Dixon, of HappyHealthyCamper.life, on March 22, 2020, and you can listen in here:
The Gift that COVID-19 Has Given Us: Time at Home to Clear the Clutter
- Blog: How to Declutter Any Space
- Tip Sheet: What to Keep and What to Toss (clarifying questions)
- Blog: Downsize and Organize Your Digital Clutter
- Blog: Today is National Organize Your Home Office Day
- Blog: Tame Your Paper Tiger with a Filing System that Works
- Blog: Clean Your Closet Week
- Blog: The Power of Mindfulness
- Blog: Create Space for Living Mindfully
- Guest Blog: Scientific Support for Collective Meditation-Prayer
- Free webinar: Find Anything in 5 Seconds or Less
- Free webinar: Buried in Paper
- Free webinar: Managing Priorities
Dear Kathy, you picked the right timing for this blog. Actually I am benefiting from this unfortunate time and event. I am very sad for people all around the world who have lost their lives from this disease, and it still goes on and on, but I am learning many things as well. The most important one is feeling more love and care towards others. This situation has made me appreciate things in life that I might have ignored or disregarded. Kathy, thanks so much for bringing more priorities up to our attention…I really enjoyed reading this and I am definitely benefiting from your interesting blog a lot🙏
Thank you, Sheida. You are already such a loving, caring and compassionate person, and I thank you for being a bright light in the dark tunnel. I appreciate you!