As what has been known as the last weekend of summer comes to a close, we are expecting an arctic blast! What a change of events! Not unlike the change of events we have experienced with COVID and the shutting down of the country and the world. How to cope?!
First is remembering that “this too shall pass.” When faced with difficult situations, remember that one day this will be a memory. We can look back on those days, “remember when COVID shut things down?!” We might remember with some nostalgia such as “remember binge-watching Netflix?“, “Remember trying all those new recipes?” “Remember taking up knitting?” For others who lost love ones, it will bring back a painful time, when you were put to the test. But as humans, we are survivors, we can take positives from what has happened. This leads us to…
Make lemonade out of lemons! Many of us have free time that we did not have before. So how do we use it? We can sit and complain, be sad, get stressed, or (and it’s a big or, I admit) make the best of a crappy situation. Do you know all those projects that have been on hold? How about starting to tackle those. Today I shredded old bank statements! I spent 20 minutes in the home office I have not been using (thanks to my sunnier dining room table!). I also cleared off the dining room table of the piles. Been thinking of learning a foreign language? It’s a great time to start. There are some apps on the phone with some having a free trial. There are art projects, crafts, etc. Home projects have been hitting it big these days as well. And I heard on the TV that Scott lawn products have seen a 25% increase in sales!
And remember to bundle up for the unexpected, work on your resiliency skills. I pulled out winter clothes today so I will be ready for the arctic blast. As COVID was building up, we could see it coming so some people stocked up on toilet paper, some on dog food, and everyone on hand sanitizer. What about daily life stressors? How do we bundle up for that? One of the best predictors of positive outcomes is a positive, supportive social network. Nurture your friendships. Develop your “go-to” person who will be there to listen, not judge, not offer advice unless asked, but just to listen. When something bad happens, we need those people who will just listen to us rant and rave, sometimes cry, and definitely help us laugh at a crappy situation.
So take time to reach out to your support network. Even though we can’t be there in person or physically, a simple text, call, or even a video call is enough to stay connected. We are so lucky in these times to have a social network to connect. We can swap our quarantine stories, laugh about the absurdities, cry about the losses, and be there to support one another. That’s what we do as humans. We connect and we survive.
Bundle up and stay warm these next few days! It will be warm and sunny by the weekend! This too shall pass!
—
Karen W. Malm, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Executive Director
Summit Community Counseling
5689 S Redwood Rd #27
Taylorsville, UT 84123
801-266-2485
