A Note From Katelyn | COVID-19
Hello my friends,
Forgive me, I know this post should have been sent out sooner - like last week, but I honestly didn’t have the bandwidth to put two coherent sentences together - let alone a coherent and encouraging post/email. Luckily, my two daughters are on the mend from their flu and my husband and I have seemed to dodge their flu bullets - so thankful for that! 😉
Like you, my family and I are "sheltering in place” in an effort to keep ourselves as safe as possible while we all do our part to attempt to flatten the curve and reduce the rapid spread of this COVID-19 Coronavirus. I admit, I was quite dismissive of the news when the virus was first being reported overseas. I would think, there is no way we would be affected like they were/are. Clearly, I was naive and super wrong and I’ll be the first to admit that. Anyhow, I’ve been thinking a bunch and wanted to share some thoughts on how we can all work together, but separate, amidst this current pandemic.
First and foremost, prioritize yours and your family's health because if you don’t have your health, you can’t enjoy anything or anyone. It’s that simple. Stay home and truly minimize contact with others - even family members in some cases.
Give yourself permission to feel all the feels - whether you’re uneasy, sad, worried, stressed, frustrated, anxious, mad, etc etc. I used to be much more of a crier and I remember going though a particularly tough season of my life years ago. My therapist at the time encouraged me to let my emotions out it their rawest, purest form. If you need to cry, let yourself cry - and cry harder than you have ever cried before. If you need to laugh, find something funny and allow yourself to laugh - and laugh hard. Just let those emotions flow through you instead of allowing them to fester and manifest itself into another less pleasant emotion. If this is hard for you, I suggest journalling your thoughts to get them out that way instead. You won’t regret it!
Try making a conscious effort to embrace this uncertainty and create your new normal wherever you are hunkering down. In other words, make your new at-home schedule an enjoyable one. For example, if you like to read, start your day by reading an enjoyable book or sip a yummy cup of coffee (or two!) before “starting your day”. Whatever brings you joy, do that! My fam and I have been starting each morning being silly and extra snuggly - which is both for them and for me. Try to take this embracing a step further and actually enjoy this new normal as well - which may be a struggle - but far better than trying to fight the inevitable.
"Everything that's worth doing, is worth doing poorly,
at first"
My dad always said this funny saying; everything that’s worth doing is worth doing poorly, at first. The more you do it, the better you’ll get! Working exclusively from home is especially challenging for our industry, but we will do our very best to stay as connected as possible with each team member, trades-people, our clients, and our followers. We will continue to be developing ways to do our jobs while working remotely and continue to make our clients feel taken care even if we can’t physically be there with them.
Lastly, choose to have an attitude of gratitude - now more than ever. Be grateful for even the simplest of things in life. I found myself thinking about how grateful I am for the weather - rain or shine. I spent some time during the brief amounts of sunshine this past Saturday and Sunday to pull weeds in our small-ish backyard. At first, I was annoyed as this felt like a daunting task, but I then shifted my mind to be grateful for a yard full of both beautiful plants AND weeds. I felt a great sense of accomplishment with each bucket of weeds I pulled. It was hard work, but extremely satisfying to look back at my now mostly weed-free yard knowing that I was a part of making it better. PS, the moment I put my 10-month-old daughter Fiona on the lawn next to me, she put a big chunk of dirt straight into her little mouth. Ewwww, BUT, now I’m grateful for that memory of her first experience eating dirt. Choose to be grateful. I did some quick googling and found that it’s scientifically proven that grateful people are healthier, more empathetic, have less stress, sleep better, have better self-esteem, and it increases mental strength. I think we could all use all these things right now. ;-)
"Recognizing all you have to be thankful for – even during the worst times of your life – fosters resilience” - Amy Morin, psychotherapist
Please know that I’m committed to keeping things up and running here at KBG Design to the best of our abilities. My experience tells me that once we are through a difficult time, and this one is unprecedentedly difficult, I believe our area of expertise and business will be the first to bounce back - especially since everyone is sheltering in place in their homes now unable to ignore the shortcomings that may have only previously been a slight nuisance.
Much like the weather, this outbreak season, too, shall pass and before you know it, we will be in another season of life and business. Some seasons seem to last longer - especially when you’re in a particularly hard one, but hindsight makes them feel short, yet meaningful in what those seasons can teach you.
In closing, I know my available time is limited, but I will do my best to connect with our followers during this uncertain time. Thank you for being you and for doing your part to help flatten the curve.
Best,
Katelyn
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