HOUSTON – While we might not know what life after a pandemic will be like, we know one thing is for sure: society will be here long after the virus is gone.
Kids won’t learn from home forever, working from home won’t last a lifetime and eventually, the dishes won’t overflow from the kitchen sink like they are right now. OK, we can’t promise that last one. However, we can promise you were made for this. Humans have survived and thrived through crises, job loss, economic strain and deadly viruses before. So, if you’re someone who is struggling, counselors said there’s one trick to change your entire experience and it’s adapting to the situation.
Emily Jamea, Ph.D. LMFT, said recognizing your limitations right now and accepting them instead of nagging yourself is how you can make it through the pandemic better than you started.
“We also have to focus on how we can adapt and find inner resilience. It’s something we are all capable of. We are so used to having the world available to us at our fingertips and the truth is that humans are hardwired to adapt. We have learned to survive in just about any climate on earth.," Jamea said. "So, there’s really no reason why we can’t learn to not just survive through this but thrive. I think it takes, it takes that self-compassion, it takes willingness to work together and it takes him self reflection. I think discovering our inner strength and using it to drive through this will do wonders for how we feel about ourselves in the long run.”
She advised rather than think about things you’ve lost because of coronavirus, think about what you have now that you didn’t get before:
More time with your family, kids, partners.
More time for family dinner.
More time to exercise.
Maybe this has helped you slow down and notice things you were too busy for before.
Remember, these are things that have probably changed you for the better and one day you might miss having them.
For more advice from Jamea, you can watch her online blog, YouTube series and sign up for her workshops through her website: Emilyjamea.com.