If you are anything like me, you get too many emails with ideas of what you should be doing when you are home – and then see perfect posts about what others have accomplished! I keep getting examples of masterpiece recipes, remodeled basements, newly painted rooms, art, crafts, everything! I can’t help feeling like I am not doing enough.
At the beginning of this quarantine, I very energetically tried to schedule new projects into my day (in addition to working and homeschooling). I had big plans: I’d finally learn Dutch and try all my family’s recipes (my mom had written them all down when I left for College). What happened? Well, I tried one recipe, found the Rosetta stone set I had put away in the bottom of my closet and quickly felt overwhelmed. It was day 3 and I was exhausted. I also felt like a failure because I couldn’t achieve all I had intended to do, contrary to what I kept seeing others online were up to.
It then dawned on me that we didn’t need to do more than what we were already doing. We are managing in a very stressful and uncertain time. Some of us are taking online classes, or working from home, or homeschooling children or a combination of those! And most of us are also exercising, calling family, getting groceries, cooking, etc. This certainly feels enough for me. There are some days I do feel excited about trying a new project – like writing a card, not like painting my apartment! – but certainly not every day. And that’s ok.
Let’s not make this a competition of who achieves more. We are taking care of ourselves and each other by staying home. That is our number 1 responsibility as human beings at the moment. Don’t feel any less if you see friends achieving amazing things – everyone is different and this is not a competition.
Take care and be kind to yourself.
Your Career Team
