Life in the Pandemic

It’s been a couple of months since our lives were turned upside down by the shutdowns due to COVID19.

It’s felt a lot like a roller-coaster that we didn’t sign up for.

In the beginning, I felt panic. I didn’t know what was happening with my work, my husband’s work or the kids’ school. I couldn’t buy what I needed at the shops. All our plans and events were being cancelled. Everyone we talked to felt uncertain and worried.

And now that we’ve been through a few weeks of ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’, and things are slowly beginning to open up again.

There’s still a long way to go, we’re told (and I understand that, because none of us know what is actually going to happen!), and lots of people I talk to are still trying to figure out what the ‘new normal’ might look like for them.

In today’s blog post, I wanted to share a few things that have helped me navigate through the pandemic so far… but in all honesty, they’re probably just good life skills to learn!

Be Prepared

Planning – while lots of plans have been cancelled, I’ve had to continue planning around my work and when my husband was able to work from home. I’ve had planning meetings with the kids about the school work they need to get done. Planning meetings, lists and daily schedules have been our friends during this time.

Get organised – my meal plan has been a major sanity-saver so that I can solve that ‘what’s for dinner/lunch/snacks’ problem that has actually increased since we’ve all been at home (we seem to eat A LOT!). Plus organising work spaces, work hours and getting kids out of their PJs most days.

Clear boundaries – right at the start of our ‘isolation’, we came up with a list of rules that would guide us through this time. We’ve had fairly strict boundaries on the use of technology (even though the kids have certainly had more of it, we’ve still been limiting their recreational screen time), and we’ve also asked for increased help around the house.

Be Flexible

Timing of our lives – time has been a funny thing during isolation – days have felt slow, but weeks are passing by in a flash! We’ve all had to adapt a little bit to being around one another a whole lot more – especially on weekends. And we’ve had to get used to creating a timetable that helps us get things done (work/school/eating/sleeping)

Adjust expectations – this has been one of the biggest ones for me. Originally, I thought that weeks in ‘shutdown’ would mean that I would get a whole lot of jobs done that have been on my to-do list for ages… but I haven’t actually had MORE free time to pursue recreational activities (one of the biggest myths I see popping up on social media!) I’ve had to adjust my expectations of myself and what I can achieve, but I’ve also had to adjust the expectations of what we would do as a family… long days filled with board games and jigsaw puzzles haven’t been the norm in our house (although we have gone on more walks together!). I think I had a bit of a romantic view of what we could achieve as a family, and then I realised that we’re actually just focused on surviving each week, and that’s okay.

Make your own fun – when birthday parties stopped and holidays were cancelled, we felt sad. But we’ve had fun watching movies and playing games, and there’s been more than a few moments of spontaneous silliness in the way of dance parties, experiments with food, and PJ days!

Be Gentle

Processing emotions – this is an ongoing effort as we deal with the changes to our lives – there is grief and worry, confusion and uncertainty that keep on needing to be dealt with from myself and the kids. Taking time to care for the individual and process all these emotions has been important. Realising that I am going to feel okay one day and have a struggle day another time is okay.

Ask for help – I know how tough it is to ask for help. I have been surprised at the guilt that sometimes comes from asking my husband to help with extra cleaning or meal prep (maybe because I feel like I’m failing when I can’t do it all myself). But it’s such a great thing for your kids to see your example of asking for and receiving help.

Show you care – I think one of the most precious things to come out of this time is some of the valuable conversations I’ve had with my boys, just because we’re around each other a whole lot. I hope I’ve been able to share some valuable life lessons with them during this time, and that we’ve all taken a few steps in learning how to be better humans. We’ve taken the opportunity to write to people, connect with our neighbours, and hold virtual celebrations with family, so hopefully these are the memories that we hold onto.


Do you feel as though you’ve had to juggle EVEN MORE stuff during the pandemic?
If you’re struggling to cope and you’d like some support, check out my ‘Get a Grip’ coaching package HERE.

About The Author

Tanya

Tanya lives in Canberra with her husband and two sons. She is passionate about helping women to live fulfilled, purposeful lives. She enjoys reading, cooking, craft and creating memorable moments for her family.