Managing expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic

Maintaining your income, homeschooling your kids, staying in touch with loved ones; all while keeping your house clean, preparing healthy meals and staying on top of your workouts. Let's face it, that is a lot to manage. This pandemic is challenging people in different ways. Some people find themselves with extra time on their hands while others are squeezing every minute out of the day to stay afloat. How do you manage it all? The honest answer: you don't. Do your best and accept that is all you can do right now. Give yourself grace and prioritize what is most important.

Ask yourself: are your expectations placed on you by yourself or others? Often we expect much more from ourselves than anyone would ever ask of us. We think that we must be performing at 100% for all of our duties, all of the time. That is not realistic.

Movement. Moving your body is great for both physical and mental health. Move your body in ways that make you happy and boost your mood. This could be getting outside with your kids to play or perhaps you wake up early and do a 20-minute HIIT workout. Do what makes you feel your best, physically and mentally.

Homeschooling. This one is tough. Different teachers and school districts have different expectations. Do your best to help your child with their work and know that in the end everything will turn out okay. If your student is struggling with the amount or type of work assigned, reach out to their teacher to discuss options. Teachers are working harder than ever to help their students maintain their education from a distance.

Work. Whether you are working from home, furloughed or on the front lines you are likely facing challenges. How are you doing? If you need assistance, reach out and ask for help. Talk with your boss about expectations and how work fits in with your responsibilities at home. Know that this is temporary and soon you will be back to normal workload, hours and pay.

Diet. Pay attention to how your body feels. Nourish yourself to feel your best; physically and mentally. Sometimes that may be chocolate and other times that may be fresh fruit and vegetables. While going to the grocery store less often than normal you may need to get creative with more shelf stable foods like pasta, rice, beans and frozen or canned fruits and vegetables. All of these items provide great source of nutrients.

Remember this time of social distancing and quarantine is temporary. Given time, COVID-19 will be a distant memory. We will all be back to normal, or our new normal, whatever that may be. Be patient with yourself, be patient with others. Remember, we are all in this together. This too will pass.