I tried to stay away from this topic but it’s unavoidable. The pandemic has affected so many lives around the globe. If not by contracting the virus, losing loved ones(RIP), the financial repercussions have been major for many as well. My own little family has been remaining positive and removing the judgement on ourselves as parents but also on our kids. We also keep explaining to them throughout why things are the way they are and that we must be thoughtful of each other and our friends over social media and games. It’s been interesting times for all involved.
Kids well being
When the school holidays began it was a different ball game. We relaxed even more and let everyone do what they want within our bubble. Sleep ins, cooking all our favourite meals and evening walks and dinners together were our daily routine. As parents we have to keep tabs on our kids online activities as well as making sure they get enough sleep, eat well and also do some form of exercise daily. It’s amazing how when we relax too much on one or the other, it results in meltdowns and bad attitudes. But it leads us back to resetting the rules and boundaries.
Resilient kids
I have to commend our children for forging through in these isolated times. We set a mantra in our household from day one of quarantine that we must be grateful for what we have and go from there. It’s an amazing mindset to adopt in these crazy times. By doing so, you learn to not yearn too much for what’s missed but make the most of the situation. So many a night before bed we pray or take turns to say what we’re each grateful for. Also an opportunity to remind our kids to appreciate that we are healthy, together and whatever we have is a plus. So sometimes I celebrate our kids’ appreciation of our situation and not demanding
Connecting to loved ones
An upside is, we get to video call our families overseas a lot more during quarantine as everyone had the time and are at home to be able to chat. So that’s been a plus for everyone.
Dealing with redundancies
From early on relatives and friends were either made redundant or were the ones that had to make their staff redundant. It’s hard on everyone. The emotional toll on the empathetic bosses doing the letting go has been quite heavy too and on the other hand there’s the insensitive ones that openly celebrate how lucky they are to have a job when they’d just let go of their employees. That is an extra unnecessary blow just because they weren’t considerate with their words. In our own situation, my husband’s job is also one in danger, it being the travel industry which has taken a big blow too. Many have been made redundant and we are basically living day to day with much uncertainty.
Support system
It has been imperative to have a good support system amongst friends and family. This is one I’m grateful for we have an amazing support system. We have been supporting each other throughout this time. When one is down we are quick to come to each other’s aid to reassure and encourage each other to not wallow in the negative feelings for too long. Yes I’ve had my bad days but hanging on to hope, positivity and prayer has really kept me going and being there for family and friends and their being there for us has been amazing. I find that this time has also strengthened my marriage as we come to communicate more and understand, support and respect each other throughout this time. Being kind to each other has never been more necessary.
Options- Being Proactive
Without thinking of worst case scenarios we looked at our options. We all have some options we need to explore to get through this time. So we have a plans in place on navigating this time and predicament that may befall us. So check all your options and make changes if necessary to save money. (another post coming on saving money later this week)
Passion project
My involvement with my amazing woman empowerment network has been uplifting as well. Collaborating with many amazing ladies has really been enlightening and kept me excited for the future. We have to hang onto hope and positivity because without it we are in despair and think up the worst case scenarios that can make us spiral out of control.
Positivity
We are all affected by this pandemic one way or another. And many of us have to take care of not only ourselves but also our families. Positivity has been a saving grace for us but also being realistic and exploring options available to us is being proactive. Show understanding for our children who are going through something unusual but are being resilient. We also as parents must go easy on ourselves and not fret over the small things. So reach out to loved ones, be there for each other and hold on to hope that things will get better eventually. But for now focus on the good of humanity and forge on. And lastly Be Kind.
Global Pacific Woman 