Is it Tuesday?

To say COVID 19 has affected our lives would be an understatement. Everything from our schedules, routines, inter-personal relationships, and, eating habits are all victims of this quarantine. There seem to be more questions than answers and most of us are asking some of the same questions.

• How long is this going to last?
• Am I buying stuff on Amazon to have social interaction with the delivery person?
• Can I justify overspending online as “Retail Therapy?”
• What am I going to do today to add variety to my life?
• Which one of the news stories is really accurate?
• Is there such a thing as an accurate news story?
• Will I be able to tolerate wearing real shoes again?
• How many series can I watch on Netflix before losing it?
• Is it time to wash my sweat clothes or can I wear them another week?

Maybe you are like me and have found one of the worst effects of the quarantine to be confusion over little things like “What day is it?” I find myself consciously having to wrestle with questions like, “Is it Tuesday?” Before the quarantine, I had a schedule – events that happened on specific days at specific times. Now, my life is like vicariously living in the old movie, Groundhog Day where the same day keeps being repeated.

Some of the lessons I am learning or at least wrestling with are:

• Stop trying to control things that belong to God. All of us feel a bit helpless when things are out of our control. As believers, we know the Biblical truth that God is sovereign but it’s a difficult concept to live.
• Control the controllable rather than focusing on the things that don’t matter. Anxiety, depression and despair personify themselves when we focus on the little things out of our control rather than those things we can control. It is helpful to list the five things you do control and to practice them.
• Create new patterns for my life and review them. Each week I have to re-examine the patterns from the previous week to determine if they need to be repeated or need adjusting.
• Allow time for evaluation. It is easy for me to put things into motion and think I do not have time for evaluation. The reality is this: I do not have time not to practice this concept.
• Schedule your day. I have discovered it is imperative for me to plan out the day and the week. Even though I am not physically going to an office, I need the structure of a schedule.
• Plan white space in your schedule and take breaks. As I mentioned in a previous blog, most of the people I talk to feel busier than pre-quarantine. I made some mistakes early on by not planning white space in my life and calendar.
• Trust God with the uncertainties of life. Before COVID 19 I liked to think I was in control of my life and schedule but these past few weeks have reminded me of how little control I truly possess. One of the positive effects of COVID 19 has been a reminder that God is in control and I am not. He is worthy of my trust.

Confusion about what day it is may be one of the natural effects of this time. There are likely other effects we would probably classify as negative. However, along with the encouragement of others, I am committed to focusing on the positive effects and opportunities while processing the undesirable ones.