Over the past fortnight, our lives here in Australia, not to mention the rest of the world, have been turned upside down.
I read a post on Facebook today that felt like it was summing up an era, not a fortnight worth of changes.
My point? We have been absolutely hammered with life changes: working from home or losing a job/business completely, home-schooling, social distancing, no socializing, just to name a few.
While some of us are coping really well, some of us are taking time to adjust to this new normal. If you fall in the latter category, now is not the time to be coming down hard on yourself. Let’s be real here and think again about how much has happened in such a small capsule of time.
I don’t doubt nor deny the fact that I am a control freak. I am wary of change of any sort and am not a fan of uncertainty.
Needles to say, this whole COVID19 situation is killing me inside because there is nothing I can control about it. I struggled hard for the first week, but have finally managed to park many of my anxieties by finding the silver lining in most of the situations I was anxious about.
Today, I’ll share my top 5 silver lining epiphanies, and my thought processes behind them – perhaps you can relate!
Anxiety: How is our Personal Training business going to be affected on a weekly basis with the restrictions that keep changing?
The story: At first, we were restricted to 10 people per group session. We decided to be ultra-conservative and limit our own groups to 3 people. From 10 people, the Prime Minister imposed a new level of restrictions that only allowed 1 on 1 training. Overnight, our work schedule was in shambles again.
Silver Lining: The truth is, we still have a business to look after. This is not the case for many, many people. Our client base is strong and supportive, and they are willing to be flexible just so that they can continue training with us. We have been incredibly blessed and lucky and we are thankful that we have clients knocking on our door even during this strange time.
Anxiety: How am I going to get through all the tasks needed for Luken’s homeschooling, while also finding time to do my own work?
The story: I am not a qualified teacher and definitely not well versed in what Luken does on an everyday basis. I am home more than most parents and have a fairly good idea, but I would never be able to replace his awesome teachers – not even for a day! On top of that, I also have another child to manage as well as a couple of businesses to run. So – how on earth am I going to fit that all in?
Silver Lining: In reality, we are getting through most of Luken’s schoolwork, but not all. I am also not getting as much work as I’d like done. Just as the fortnight has progressed, however, I have learnt more and more about my son and how I can support him. I have learnt more about him as a person and am marvelled by how conscientious and determined the little guy is. We have also set a new schooling schedule that suits our family – we are managing to fit in two exercise sessions together amidst all his school work and that also means we get to hang out more. It’s been really great.
Anxiety: How am I supposed to converse on and deliver services via online platforms that I have never used before?
The Story: As I’ve said, our Personal Training clients have been amazingly supportive. In order to be able to offer our services under the new restrictions, we have had to teach group classes and offer group lessons online via Zoom. We have also had to learn about other online platforms too. It’s been a massive learning curve.
Silver Lining: Whilst it’s been incredibly difficult trying to reinvent a business that has been doing well for years, it’s also been eye-opening and pretty damn rewarding. Face-to-face sessions are definitely the way to go for Personal Training, but we have also managed to reach our clients via these online platforms. It has also encouraged us to think outside of the box we know so well, and to question the possibility of perhaps creating an online offering to Europe (my husband is Spanish) – something that we have flitted over in the past, but are now seriously considering.
Anxiety: How are we going to all cope being at home all together, 24/7?
The Story: No explanation here. Iker’s normally in the city, Luken’s at school, Leia’s at preschool, and I’m usually all over the North Shore. While we love our time together, I had anxieties about spending SO much time together – without a break to do what else we’re used to doing.
Silver Lining: I don’t think that I’ve had to look too hard to find this one. It’s been really nice. I’ve recently been reflecting on how much more independent Luken is and whether I was losing my little boy. It’s been awesome to spend time with him. Leia is less rushed in her day – as the youngest in the family, I feel like we are constantly dragging her around. She’s definitely happy to mosey about at home. It’s fantastic having Iker home at lunchtime – it’s a treat. Maybe this honeymoon phase will end, but for now, we are all having a good time.
Anxiety: What are my days going to look like now that I have to juggle our businesses and our kids being at home?
The Story: I’ve said it before and I’ll saying it a million times over – I am the ultimate control freak who loves a schedule and predictability. I wasn’t sure how much my own schedule was going to be affected by our new COVID19 lifestyle.
Silver Lining: Yes, reality is that life has changed a lot. At the same time,it’s taken the edge off my need to be a control freak. The first week was mentally unbearable and I almost broke. In a short timespan, I’ve come to accept that I will have no idea what my day is going to like because there are so many variables that I cannot control. However, I can control what I can. For example, I know that I need to work out once a day, intensely, in order to keep my mind in check. So I do that, no matter what. Everything else just seems a little bit better once that non-compromise is taken care of.
I really hope that this helps a couple of you find your silver linings too – no matter how few or far between those may be.
At the end of the day, this situation is going to last longer than any of us will want it to, and all of these little silver linings may just be the saviour of our sanities.
Perhaps, they may even lead you down the path of a completely revamped, and completely wonderful, new way of life.
Take care of yourselves, and wishing you a healthy and happy week ahead!
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