Ride or die adjusting to the new normal
Written by: Rolando A. Hyman MA, CCC, CT
#newnormal, #personaladjustment
Since March 2020 the world has been living in unprecedented times and life as we know it has changed significantly. The social circles have deteriorated for some people to little or none and in the minds of many persons is the unanswerable question, when will this be over? Families have been separated for longer periods than normal, borders for many countries are closed and because of this pandemic many persons are not even allowed to go and join family to grieve if they suffered a loss. More persons have lost their jobs and are living in an uncertainty and have no idea if there is a future to look ahead to. Financial institutions are in chaos and every industry is impacted in one way or the next as people are looking for answers to help with this confusing time in the history of humanity. As one looks deep into the eyes of this new normal the conclusion is quite clear that we must either make the decision to "ride or die" because this is going to be a "long night."
In my own role as a psychotherapist I would encourage everyone to be mindful that this is the time to learn how to live in the present and develop an attitude of gratitude as we learn to appreciate what we do have. The atmosphere is now filled with anxiety about the future and where do we go from here? Realistically speaking we must be cognizant that if we develop a habit of worry in times like these it will add to increased mental health disorders and the lack to function and problem solve effectively. This is prime territory to focus on what we can control and ignore the things that we cannot control. This is clearly easier said than done but the process is more fulfilling and the stress of the pandemic is less controlling when we challenge ourselves to set boundaries that are self-preserving and encourage us to do constant reality checks. This is the new normal that we are dealing with and have dealt with since March 2020, we are all challenged to make do with what we have verses worrying about what we use to have or what we do not have. This ride or die mentality is what is needed to evoke in us the survivor mindset versus a sojourner mindset. We are all in this together no exceptions and no favorites the Corona virus has imprisoned us in our homes and communities but let us not allow it to imprison us in the past as well. By allowing ourselves to live in the moment and recognize that living in our reality will charge our batteries with just the right amount of power to go from day to day. We must remember that yesterday is history, tomorrow is just a dream and today is reality.