Hello,

I now officially reside in a Governor ordered Stay At Home – Stay Safe State.  How do I feel about that? Well SFP is officially closed. Shoots are canceled and like you, I have no idea what the future holds. 

Like you and everyone else I had some upcoming events I was/am really looking forward to. If staying at home for 2 weeks gets us back to our lives I am willing to do it. But beyond my events, I want to go back to feeling safe when I go to the grocery store. I want to visit my Mom and I want to hang out with my friends. I want to give Grammy a hug…

I want to be free of this fear of the future.  

Some of us are being hit harder than others, but at the same time we are all in this together. I get so frustrated watching how even in the face of this crisis our government leaders can’t seem to get it together for the good of the people they are elected to serve. While I don’t doubt that their are some government leaders doing their level best, it just doesn’t seem like it. 

Do they know people are losing their jobs? Don’t have a clue how they will pay their bills? Don’t know if they will get their jobs back? Don’t they understand what is happening?

I’m frustrated, scared, angry, have anxiety and I’m overwhelmed.

I feel completely out of control and I understand that is the root of my anxiety.

So while I don’t have control over Government, Viruses or the Economy I need to focus on what I can control.

 

 

 

My mindset

I can spend my time fretting about what I’m missing out on or I can focus on what I have an opportunity to accomplish. 

Like many of you I am focused on upcoming events and wondering if they will happen.   I am also worried about the economy and our financial situation as well as the situations for my boys.

That is human nature and it’s to be expected. But it is not helpful to me to dwell in that space. I have no control. It will or won’t happen and I can’t do a thing about it.

Time

Happy Birthday! Or Merry Christmas! How many of us wish on a weekly/daily basis that we just had more time? Well you got it friend! I challenge you to grab a piece of paper and a pen and spend 5-10 minutes writing a list of all of the things you have said you wished you had more time to do.  Because friends this stupid virus has given us the gift of time. 

So write your list

Some things on my list

-Clean out closet and donate

-Meal planning and prepping, try new recipes. I’m embracing the challenge of using my food as efficiently as possible.

-Weeding – not a favorite activity but I don’t have to do it all at once. I figure 15 min here and there will work.

-Reading – I usually only read before bed. That’s changing! 

-Clean organize camera equipment and make inventory list

-Write letters to people I miss – I have some old cards/stationary that are dated but that is what I’m sending out! With Christmas stamps no less!

-Business planning (I struggle with this. Will I have a business to go back to?)

-Rearrange furniture

-Take another online class for business/photography

-Clean out drawers, cabinets etc. I hope to find things I haven’t been using and add them to my resources, or the donation pile. 

-Go through, organize, or hang those pictures you’ve been wanting to display. Or simply sit down with photo albums and enjoy family memories.

Structure

Personally, I like a schedule. I’m far more productive when I have deadlines and a schedule that I can work from.  However, I realize we all have different personalities so this may not work for everyone. 

My mornings begin with a hot chai and devotion time. Honestly, I’m struggling with devotions right now. This is a confusing challenging time. I am so thankful that I believe in God and that I know ultimately we are in His hands but that doesn’t mean we always understand what is going on.

Part of my daily devotion time is writing down what I am thankful for. It’s easy to focus on what went wrong and lately we have bad news every day. However, I know that every single day there are blessings and its important for me to acknowledge them each and every day. I highly recommend this activity!

Having a to-do list or a time schedule is helpful for me. Choosing what I want to accomplish in a day and marking it off the list gives me not only a sense of accomplishment but control. Our norm is rush, rush whatever is on our list has to be accomplished NOW. Remember to space things out. Put time in your schedule to read, enjoy a hot beverage, watch a show, work on a puzzle, write, play, exercise. I think the key for me is variety! Too much of any one thing gets tiresome real quick. 

Let’s Do this!

Friends, none of us wants to be in this situation. I believe we can only get through it by working together. This is uniquely challenging because our norm in times of crisis is to come together. 

But let’s get creative and remember that we have technology and old fashioned ways at our disposal. Make a phone call, write a letter, face time instead of texting, (but texting works as well 🙂 but don’t forget to reach out. Don’t forget about your friends and family. They need to hear from you as much as you need to hear from them. 

Some of us (me included) tend to withdraw when overwhelmed, sad or anxious. Be gentle with each other. Reach out in love and support.

Add to your  To-do list a list of people who you can reach out to. Assign each one a day of the week and plan how you will reach out to them. 

Let’s make the best of this situation friends! 

Hugs! From a safe distance 🙂

Shelly