This is a question that everyone has been asking for the past four months! It seems that the end is still not in sight. Some restrictions have been loosening, but we are still not back to the way things were in February. Now we are hearing about the “next wave” and the “new normal” which doesn’t sound too appealing.
How are we to cope with all of these changes and the uncertainty of the near future?
As women of the household we are often asked to be the one that hold steady and keep the rest of the family balanced. We are expected to continue with our household chores, making dinners, tending the garden and looking after the young and old members of the family. Now added to this there have been school children that have needed some help to complete their studies while unable to attend their regular classes. All of this is being done while socially distancing from anyone outside of our household and physically distancing while shopping or doing errands in town. Church services have been cancelled and weddings and funerals have become very small and lonely. Yet we have been asked to stay the course, this is only temporary while we wait for the COVID virus to pass.
It is important now to take time to be grateful for the positive, beautiful things around us. The summer months are upon us and nature is at it’s best. Take some time to enjoy simple pleasures and be thankful for family and good health.
Women and men react to stress differently. Men tend to keep their feelings to themselves and are unwilling to share concerns or fears. They are “self-regulators”. Women, on the other hand, need more social interactions and the tendency to “co-regulate”. A man’s response is the “fight or flight” whereas the woman’s is to “tend and befriend”! A chance to have a meaningful conversation with a friend is often the only medicine needed to get through a tough situation.
It is important to make “self care” a priority, taking care of your own mental, emotional and physical health. This will help to manage stress and protect from “burnout”.
If we don’t take care of ourselves properly, how can we be able to take care of those that depend on us on a daily basis?
This period in our lives will come to an end, we just don’t know yet when this will be! Taking care of ourselves and our families is the priority of most women. Listening to each other and being a friend to someone in distress will help us get through these uncertain times together!
