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On being resilient when it all seems to be too much

Amanda’s Story

What happens when it’s too much? When all of the things we are experiencing just feel like too much? When the unexpected international circumstances combined with the seasonal changes and, oh yes, that medical condition, feel like they more than we can handle? Sometimes it helps to remember just how resilient we actually are.

There’s been a lot happening this year. A lot. No question about that. We are getting into winter and in many places, that means an increase in SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). It’s colder outside and more rain (or snow). Less sunshine. Month 8 of COVID-19 and the isolation. This is on top of all the things that we experience every day: finances; employment; relationships; friendships. Hobbies that I now have more time for (like writing and painting) suddenly seem like they are becoming an expectation. I start to feel like I have to do these things.

On Running

In the course of my day, it’s getting harder to find time to run. When it’s not raining (because I actually really dislike running in the rain, despite living on the coast), it’s also too dark before AND after work for me to run alone. I have to time my lunch breaks perfectly to get outside at all. The weekends are the only time I have the opportunity to spend a few hours running. The reality there is that it becomes less motivating to go out. As much as I want to go, I have to acknowledge that it’s not particularly safe to do trail running in the dark alone. Hence, self-imposed feeling more obligations to hobbies like painting and writing.

On Eating Well

My eating habits are worse than they have ever been. As a result, I just signed up for one of the meal-delivery services where they make a meal plan for the whole week and deliver it. It starts next week and I plan to try it for a month. It’s expensive but it will mean the difference between me eating every day and sometimes going a couple days without eating. (I go very infrequently now to the grocery store… much less than I even did before).

On Screen Time

Social media, streaming services, video chats. Endless options. I haven’t even owned a television before because prior, I spent more time being active than needing a screen. A couple years ago I bought a cheap laptop just for the purpose of blogging (I’m using it right now). The world is a combination of overstimulation and under-stimulation at the same time as imposing entirely new lifestyles.

Finding Inspiration

The force of external motivation can only move us forward so much. So… what happens when it’s too much?
This is the time when we have to make a very pointed effort to inspire ourselves.

 

RELATED: Managing Stress With Yoga

 

On being resilient

As many times as we have heard this during the pandemic, we are all in this together. The season changes, well, every year…so it will be different in a few months and the sun will come back. We have a significant medical condition and we are managing to get through all of these circumstances even with that. We did it before and we will continue to do so.

Things are “too much”. Too much. Yes, yes they are. So are we. We are much too resilient, much too determined, much too feisty and we haven’t been permanently overloaded by our permanent medical condition. We aren’t going to let cold weather and a pandemic ruin our irrepressible spirit.

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