A few summers ago, I went through my own personal pandemic.
My husband’s heart stopped—he broke his back during the flatline—my children were diagnosed with autism, and the depression and anxiety I’d spent my entire life running from were on the rise.
So much changed, and so many responsibilities became mine. I couldn’t even leave my kids alone with their father for almost two years.
A lot of the feelings I had then you might be experiencing now: loss of hope, concern for your family’s health, tired of teaching and taking care of your kids. There’s the decrease in income, no time for yourself, friendships that fall apart, and most notably, a ton of fear.
Much of my pandemic was unwanted, but it also gave me some incredible tools. I’ve had an eerie calm about COVID and I think that’s only because I’ve been here before.
It takes time to navigate around anything new, whether that be a disease or a diagnosis. So if you are walking through your first personal pandemic, give yourself what I didn’t: grace, a space to grieve, and a small circle you can trust. Those three things will allow you to breathe and begin again.
There will be another side, I promise. You will adapt and then you will overcome. Humans are wonderfully resilient like that.
Plan B changes a lot of things, including if we’re lucky, us.
To more love,
Stephanie
