How to keep your head above water amid the“indefinite-ness” of our new normal.

Tip: You don’t have to be superhuman!

Image: everydaypower.com

The “indefinite-ness” that comes hand-in-hand with our new normal is proving to be a challenge for me.

Lately, the days all seem to blend into one, meals are consumed at weird times and chocolate has snuck its way back in as one of my main food groups.

A psychologist friend tells me that it’s OK to take a mental health break and just accept a lower level of output.

“This constant feeling of uncertainty and worry impacts our level of motivation, and that’s totally normal,” she tells me, as I sit in my PJs a touch before midday, eating chocolate, talking to her on the phone.

“Realistically we are primed for survival during times of crisis rather than to be productive.”

“You don’t have to be superhuman,” are her parting words of wisdom.

I hang up, dusting the chocolate crumbs from my day-old PJs.

It’s OK not to be superhuman.

I let her words fill the space for a moment. How true. And how delightfully simple.

IT’S OK NOT TO BE SUPERHUMAN.

Especially during times when it can be a struggle just to be kinda-human.

It actually felt pretty good to admit that to myself.

When was the last time you admitted it to yourself? Today? Yesterday? Maybe last week? Last month?

Regardless of when the last time was — STOP — and do it now. It only takes a few seconds. And good golly, it feels good.

Say it now! Out loud!

I am NOT superhuman. I DON’T HAVE TO BE superhuman. Being kinda-human right now is perfectly acceptable, thank you very much!

Image: Shutterstock

It’s OK to not have this all figured out.

It’s normal to feel a little unsettled within the “new-ness” of all of this.

We are navigating our way through a situation that is evolving on an almost daily basis — one in which the information we are provided is often confusing, if not conflicting — and at the same time, many of us are still reeling from the psychological impact of the bushfires that ravaged the country earlier in the year.

At the same time, our normal routines and social connections — things that are usually so integral to our resilience and coping during times of crisis — are being ripped apart.

Image: freshidea

So how do we keep our heads above water while nothing is regular and no rhythms are intact?

What we once considered normal has been flipped upside down, but one thing we have in common is that we are all trying to adjust to something new.

And we all need to give ourselves a bit of a break.

As we adapt to this new normal — and this period of indefinite-ness — we won’t be perfect. And that’s OK. Let’s face it, most of us were far from perfect before this!

As my psychologist friend said: we don’t have to become superhuman.

Throughout this strange new period of time we are all going to have good days.

We will definitely have bad days.

Sometimes, it will come down to hours. I can have good hours. Then I can have hours where I feel like I’m trying to build an elaborate sandcastle right on the edge of the tide.

Image: Between the lines wordpress.com

I was talking with a good friend recently and she was describing the tension she was feeling. She noted that as someone who thrived on routine and order, this feeling of indefinite-ness — of not knowing when this would be over — was contributing to her growing anxiety.

If — like my friend — AND ME! — you feel this same sort of tension and lack of control, here is the advice from my psychologist friend (who I texted again not long after hanging up the phone — lucky she doesn’t charge me!).

“We are living through a time of unprecedented chaos. The idea that you should or could achieve your normal sense of order in how you go about your day, work, or general wellbeing is unrealistic. Forgive yourself for feeling scattered, unfocused, and paralysed.”

And…you guessed it!

“Erin…you don’t need to be superhuman!”

OK OK, I get it.

If you don’t feel like you’re being as productive as you usually would be, or following your normal routine at the moment — that’s OK.

If you’re feeling scattered or stuck or anxious or unproductive — that’s OK.

You will get through this.

Don’t make things even more difficult by speaking negatively to yourself about how you are handling these days.

Instead, practice being comfortable with the messiness. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you will inevitably make during these confusing days of indefinite-ness.

Find some new semblance of order and routine that works for right now.

The sooner that we all realise that we don’t need to be superhuman during these times, that things don’t need to look a certain way, the more relaxed we will be to just be comfortable being ourselves.

And you know what — being kinda-human is just fine with me right now!