Taking Stock – March 2020 – Global Pandemic

Never in a million years did I think back when I did my last Taking Stock post in December 2019 that my next one would see the world in the midst of a pandemic.  I was so positive and optimistic about 2020 – a whole new fresh decade full of hope and promise.  As we all know, it hasn’t been a great year so far as I’ve discussed in this post and this post.

It’s surreal isn’t it?  I find myself waking in the mornings and for a moment hoping it’s all a bad dream but soon realising it isn’t.  During the day I sometimes feel like I’m outside my body looking on as if watching a movie playing out.  A scary movie like ‘Contagion’.  How can this all be real, but then scientists have been warning of something like this for quite some time haven’t they, so I guess we shouldn’t be so surprised!

I’ve taken a step back from the blog and social media recently, as a means to reserve my energy (or what is left of it), to try and get on top of the fears and anxiety that this pandemic has triggered in me, and to try and put steps in place to keep my family safe.  My posts will be sporadic for a while but I will post when I can.

For anyone who, like me, might be feeling overwhelmed and/or anxious, you might find this video helpful.  In fact – I highly recommend EVERYONE watch it.  FACE COVID – How To Respond Effectively To The Corona Crisis.  In this brief animation, Dr Russ Harris, author of the international best-seller ‘The Happiness Trap’, illustrates how to use ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to deal with the Corona crisis and the fear, anxiety and worry that goes with it.  The video goes for 5 minutes and 23 seconds.

Here’s where you can also get a FACE COVID eBook – by Dr Russ Harris.

Making:  New routines in my days, including disinfection time – all communal surfaces, doorknobs, light switches etc in the house. 
Cooking:  Healthy and nutritious meals to help boost and support our immune systems
Sipping:  A Baileys on ice has become my 5pm staple to calm my nerves a little after the news of the day
Reading:  For escapism is what I’d like to do but I just can’t seem to relax my mind enough to focus and concentrate on a book.
Looking:  Forward to when this is all over and life returns to normal again … or whatever the new normal might be.
Listening:  To news updates within reason.  Not ALL day.  Listing to nature otherwise.
Wishing:  This never happened. 
Enjoying:  Cuddles and the divine purring of our kittens Axel and Amaya.
Liking:  Some daily ‘outside’ time – a sit by the pool, a lie on the grass, a walk.
Loving: And appreciating and ever so grateful to have a home as my sanctuary and where I will hopefully sit out this pandemic till we get to the other side.
Buying:  Disinfectant, Hand Sanitiser, Liquid Anti-Bacterial Soap dispensers is impossible right now.  I think the toilet paper shortage has improved though.
Watching:  The news enough to be kept informed but switching off as much as possible to protect my mental health.
Hoping:  That this pandemic is over as soon as possible with as many lives saved as possible and that a vaccine is available ASAP!
Needing:  Reassurance, Kindness, Love, Comfort, Hope.
Wearing:  Shorts & T-shirts most of the time. Perhaps I should dress up sometimes to lift my spirits!  What day should I nominate for dress up day?
Following:  The news & have downloaded the new Australian Government’s Coronavirus App and WhatsApp feature.
Noticing:  The lessons that will come from this crisis and ways that we will probably live differently once this is all over. More on this at the end of this post.
Sorting:  Out this new way of life and how to do it and also adjusting to two new additions to the household (more in a separate post when I get a chance).
Getting:  Anxious and scared a lot if I watch too much Coronavirus TV coverage.
Saving:  My sanity is a daily trip to the great outdoors for a bit of nature’s healing.
Bookmarking:  Nothing really – a bit preoccupied!
Coveting:  An end to this pandemic! 
Opening:  Our eyes to how we live our lives, what we have always taken for granted, new habits we should take forward with us, and more … is this Coronavirus.
Giggling:  Not as much as I’d like lately but the kittens do get a giggle out of me now and then.
Feeling:  Sometimes all at once and sometimes one or two or three or more at a time: Afraid, Anxious, Worried, Stressed, Hopeful, Panicked, Moved, Proud, Inspired, Teary, Emotional.
Hearing:  The ever present snores of my dog Ava – such a comfort at this time.
Obsessing:  Over disinfecting surfaces in my home including benchtops, door knobs, light switches, fridge handles, dishwasher, phones, remote controls, anything that we all regularly touch. It is my new daily routine.

So there you go. A very different Taking Stock post indeed.  On another note, obviously our little holiday to Kingscliff had to be cancelled.  I have to say a huge thank you to Mantra on Salt Beach at Kingscliff for the free cancellation with no costs incurred by us. We will be rebooking when all of this is over for sure.

Life is very different at Write of the Middle (WOTM) HQ right now.  The Tennis Player is working from home.  My dining room table has become a work station.  Oh the mess!  Twin 1 had a trial day of working from home on Monday but had to go back into the office Tuesday (the time of typing this) and so we wait to hear if working from home will become a full time option for him going forward for the duration of this crisis.  Twin 2 still has to go by bus to the city each day to work and there has been no option to work from home presented to him.  As much as it’d drive me nuts having them home all the time this is what I want.  Having my two sons go by bus to the city and home again every day is my greatest source of anxiety and compromises our ability to stay safe.  My daughter is up in Cairns in Far North Queensland – probably safer up there than where I am in Brisbane – but I have no idea how long it will be until I can see her in person again. 

Easter will be very different this year.  Usually all of my family would be having lunch over at Mum’s on Easter Sunday.  Not at all possible this year, but we will come up with another option where we can connect and be together – just not physically.  

It’s very hard to do happy and upbeat posts at the moment due to the current global pandemic and the tragic consequences of it, but as humans we need hope and light and so I’d like to finish this post on a positive note.  Here’s some positive things that I think we will be able to take from the experience of this crisis:

1. We have been united as a HUMAN RACE.  We are all in this together.  This is not an Australian crisis or an American crisis or a European crisis etc … it is a GLOBAL crisis being experienced by all of us in the Human Race. This will be a shared global human experience.  Shared experiences can build connections, cement relationships, and improve understanding, empathy and tolerance for each other.
2. Humans will have supreme hygiene practices that we will hold on to even after we get to the other side of this. This can only be a good thing!
3. We will never again take our freedom for granted.  Simple things like a family barbecue at the park, going to the markets, and meeting a friend for lunch will be treasured moments.  Gratitude will be understood and felt like never before.
4. Respect, gratitude and admiration for our health workers, teachers and medical researchers and scientists will be heartfelt and ongoing. 
5. Families will be forced to spend time together.  While this may be frustrating and irritating at times, it provides opportunity for improved communication and bonds that might otherwise have slipped by.
6. Enforced and prolonged separation from loved ones will result in increased gratitude and appreciation for moments spent with loved ones when we get to the other side of this.  It also will inspire new ways to create connectivity and shared moments together, when physical togetherness is not an option.
7. Humans will realise what really is important in life and what is superfluous.
8. More humans will go within for strength, support, and to find some calm.  Mindfulness and meditation and the benefits of both will be better understood.
9. Scientists will learn from this pandemic and this may help protect us and future generations from future viral threats.
10. Environmental benefits! We’re seeing cleaner air and clearer waters due to less consumption of unnecessary goods and less transport on the roads, in the air, and boats in the waters. There is opportunity here to learn and do better going forward!
11. The list goes on.  There are so many lessons this crisis will teach us.

My next Taking Stock post is due at the end of June.  Here’s hoping it can be a good news and positive one!

Please follow the advice of our Government (and  your Government), stay home as much as possible, and stay safe.  Sending loads of love to you and your family.

What positive things would you add to my list above? Please share them in the comments!  

Ciao for now,