I’m definitely behind on the blog, but I decided to update and try to post more consistently. The last few years I have been quite interesting to put it mildly.
As with most (all?!) of us, the experience of a global pandemic has been stressful, strange, and required a lot of adjustments in life. I started immunosuppressive drugs prior to the pandemic, and it unlocked fresh anxiety around my health and the potential of getting sicker. I was pretty cautious at the beginning prior to vaccinations, and while I do feel more comfortable now, I continue to do things like wear a mask in crowded areas or stores. Over time, most of the anxiety has eased, and I did get COVID finally in early 2023. Thankfully it was mild for me. I had hoped to eventually feel like things were normal again, but it doesn’t quite feel that way, and maybe we’re adjusting to a new normal very slowly.
During the ‘lockdown’ portion of 2020, it was very difficult to stay home and be isolated at first. Like most people, I did what I could to stay connected to people via technology, but gradually my life just slowed down anyway. Sometimes those distanced zoom meetings were fun and uplifting, but some just felt like a chore. I was sad that I no longer had things to do and places to be after work and over the weekends. It was a shock to the system in many ways, and I mourned the loss of a social life.
When I began doing telehealth full time toward the end of 2020, something shifted. I realized that without a commute and the other trappings of in-person work, I felt more refreshed, even with a full time job. I remembered to eat lunch and drink fluids more often. I made healthier dinners and worked out because I wasn’t wiped out after commuting home or staying late at work. I loved the increase in delivery services during this time. I felt safer by not risking COVID daily.
Now that we’re three years out from that time, I am noticing that for myself, many of those early pandemic habits have stuck. It’s much easier for me to be alone than it was, and to get enjoyment out of the alone time. I do have more of an in person social life again, but it’s definitely different and less frequent.
The biggest lesson has been finding what works for me for self care. I still prefer to cook healthier dinners instead of going out. I enjoy telehealth and working from home, which gives me the ability to take breaks to make food, garden, work out before the end of the day, and spend more time with my pets. I have embraced slower mornings and time to savor my coffee, journal a bit, and start my day with breakfast.
Slowing down forced me to look at my priorities and figuring out what ‘self care’ really looks like for me. That has been a huge game changer in my daily routines. I will continue to re-evaluate over time, to make sure what I’m doing still works for me and keeps me happy. Self care isn’t always bubble baths and face masks, most of the time it’s things like prioritizing drinking water and stretching between meetings. Self care also won’t solve all your problems, but does provide a small buffer to how we cope with stress. Find what feels good and do as much of those things as you can.
Katherine Arno, LMHC 