The Importance of Remembering OURSELVES When We Feel Stretched Too Thin

I wake up most mornings, feeling hopeful about the day and what I hope to accomplish. These days, it seems a little more difficult to "get enthusiastic"... which is puzzling, given that the current lockdowns really haven't made that much difference in the lives of two people who have been working from home for years, and because we're both deeply introverted, we never really left the house all that much.

Oddly enough, even though we — technically speaking — have "more time" on our hands, it feels like we actually have less time to get things done.

I feel stretched kinda thin these days, and so does Mrs. Denmarkguy.

Of course, logic dictates that since we're both in (or affiliated with) various aspects of the "Healing Professions," we deal with the external world's stresses and worries, on a daily basis. And that has definitely ramped up enormously, even compared to just three months ago.

Remember "three months ago?"

Back then "The Coronavirus" was still a largely unknown thing most people didn't really understand whether would have much impact on the world, or "will it just be another flu?"

I find myself stretched thin because those external worries and concerns definitely have entered our lives... in potentially very real ways.

Not because we are concerned about falling ill, but because we are concerned about the very real ramifications of living in the aftermath of a world that's coming apart at the seams.

We may not fall ill, but we still have to deal with the consequences of lots of people having lost their jobs and the economy being in a shambles we have no idea when/if we'll ever recover from. It's very real because whereas we feel fine, we are still dependent on clients being able to pay for the same services we depended on, before.

Meanwhile... there's the looming spectre of all the things that have not been happening in the world, due to the lockdowns. Such as the potential disruption of supply chains, especially for things like food and medications.

It's something we may not feel now, or even in the next few months... but we may well feel it with the warehouses reach empty by early winter.

Not being fatalistic here, but now I also feel stretched thin because I have been working to triple our capacity to grow our own food. Clearing land and getting it ready with raised beds "in short order" is a LOT of work, when everything ELSE still has to be done, every day.

Normally, it's a project I'd allocate an entire year to get up and running... now, I am trying to cram it into four weeks. That definitely is contributing to the sense of thinness, but the upside (at least!) is that I am getting in excellent shape!

Anyway, whatever stresses or weights we may be carrying these days, it's important to remember that we need to take care of OURSELVES, as well. Such as acknowledging that we feel overworked, and we need to take a rest... rather than just pretending that everything is under control.

Aside from the prosaic truisms about "control is just an illusion," things are NOT normal, these days... and it's OK to sit down and feel uninspired, tired, and like the only thing you're fit to do is stare at the grass growing.

So, with that, I'm going to take a somewhat "light" day.

Thanks for reading, and stay well, wherever you are!

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Created at 20200513 11:29 PDT
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