The New Normal

My definition of new normal is your current state of being after something life changing has taken place and it encourages you to deal with that current situation (your right now) rather than focus on what once was.

I think this phrase “new normal” is the hottest trending phase now in 2020. For many of us our daily routine is no longer how it was 30 days ago. Where we were once going into the office for work we are now pulling up a chair to the dinner table with our laptop and working from home, our children’s education is now taught at home rather than going into a school building and we have added the title of teacher to our resume, we’ve had cancellation of events, distant greetings, no hugs, daps or handshakes, no happy hours after work, and no dinner at your favorite restaurant. We have even seen basic necessities like toilet tissue, milk, bread and water ripped from the shelves. Is this really the new normal?

So, how can we adjust to this new normal without being overwhelmed, worried and stressed? Glad you asked. I came up with a few things I am doing personally that I wanted to share with you.

1. Limit what you allow yourself to hear concerning what’s going on in the world. There are so many news channels, so many different reports. Don’t get drowned with information flipping through channels listening to all these messages. Allow your mind to only absorb limited information from a few sources. This will help you process things better and you won’t become anxious and worried because 50 different messages are being taken in and you are trying to process it all. The news and social media are great ways to be in tune with what’s going on around you and it can be a great way to communicate and connect with friends and family. BUT it can lead you to experiencing information overload! We have to learn how to break away so the information we take in isn’t causing emotional, mental, physical and spiritual stress in our lives.

2. Log in when necessary and Logging of is needed. Have you noticed that since our new normal of being in the house we have logged in to our social media platforms every hour on the hour. Yes, everyone’s time logged in has increased at some capacity. I know I have looged in more than I have probably log out. What I have decided to do was balance my logged in time and my logged out time because I was beginning to get emotionally overwhelmed with the amount of sadness that has flooded my timeline. I am compassionate and have empathy but I also have to have peace in the midst of the storm. I have decided to focus more on my social platforms (She ROCKS It, My Soul Point of View and the I AM SHE group) why because I manage the content, I can create the atmosphere and control what is put out to the world. I can’t control the timeline and what others put out, but I can control what I allow myself to take in. So if you feel that you are getting overwhelmed and overloaded with social media consider social media time management and log in when necessary and log off because it’s needed.

3. Journal the journey. Now is a great time to express yourself. Start by asking yourself:
What am I learning from my new normal?
What has this taught me?
What will I change as a result of this?
What will I start doing as a result of this?

4. Define your own new normal. Most of us have been asked to stay inside which means the amount of time spent in person with family, friends and coworkers is down to zero. So why not level up and put a spin on how you spend time you have together. Try video calling or doing a Zoom girls night out, maybe a handwritten letter, phone calls vs texting, game time with the kids and movie time with your spouse. Creating a new normal doesn’t have to be difficult you just have to get creative, there are no rules!

Your new normal can be an opportunity for you to start something over. Did you have a plan that you started writing about but got so busy you put it to the side? Pull it out and finish. Reinvent an old idea. Maybe you had an idea and it didn’t turn out how you planned. Reinvent it! Your new normal is in your hands.

This is our new normal. How you deal with it is totally up to you. If you have ideas, suggestions or questions please feel free to comment.