The new normal still isn’t normal. But feels strangely here to stay for at least the foreseeable future. I don’t about you, but what keeps me going is looking forward to the future feeling more like the past. But with this hope, I also wonder if all that I look forward to will be all that I’ve cracked it up to be in my imagination?
What if the other side I so desperately crave is not at all like we remember it to be? What if my optimism is playing games with my memory? What if the “good old days” were never as good as I imagine them to be today? What if I’ll feel equally unfulfilled on the other side of the mountain? What then?
We are in the middle of a terrible economic and health crisis. Lockdowns are grueling. On these fronts- I know the world will be in a better, more stable place on the flip side. But what about my personal happiness?
The new normal isn’t normal. Yet, somehow, I know I need to settle in. What if “this” is it? What if circumstances froze themselves? I hate when people equate external circumstances with the quality of their life: that’s a dangerous game to play. If your happiness is tied to all that is beyond your control, you’re admitting you have no control where it matters most.
If you’re reading this, I challenge you to thrive in this moment. Let the chaos swirl around you, but don’t let it consume you. Inhale. Exhale. March in place. Towards this moment rather than away.
What does this mean? To me, this means I need to milk this moment for what it offers. Look forward less. Embrace the now. Thrive rather than survive.
I need to stop hiding. Running away from my problems. Social distancing is important, but perhaps there are risks I can and should take for the improvement of my mental health. I’m irritated at the world... but maybe I need to brush this feeling aside and open back up. Reconnect with people. I feel stuck in so many ways- I need to take a deliberate step out of this cage I’ve built. Plan for my future- even just in small ways. But much more important than plan, I need to act.
The new normal isn’t normal. But it is my life. And with that, there’s plenty I am in control of. There’s plenty I can do now to better my quality of life. Why wait for a tomorrow that that may or may not exist?
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