As self-described Super Women, we get it. We are constantly multitasking in each aspect of our lives, even more so now in quarantine. It is all a blurred line between work and personal time. It isn’t enough to inhale 1,2,3,4 and exhale 1,2,3,4 to calm our anxiety. Right now, as working moms, we are in survival mode and dealing with feelings of guilt, stress and tremendous uncertainty.
Where we use to relish that one day a week working from home, we now have multitasking challenges. Zoom calls? Yes, we can see you. Math homework via e-learning; are you smarter than your 5th grader? Lunch, dinner, cleaning, working out, checking in on sick parents and taking the dog for a walk, all while being quarantined to your home. Yikes. That is quite the task list. Don’t forget to add feelings of anxiety, sleep deprivation and overall sadness.
As women, we typically shoulder the majority of the responsibility and struggle to remember the basics: there is a me, you are doing great and you are enough. The United States is the leader in single-parent households. Today, the phrase “the buck stops here” takes on even greater meaning.
Figuring out what works for you and how you are going to strategically tackle quarantine life is the most important lesson in helping maintain a level of sanity.
- Inspire: Start your day with a simple saying that makes you feel good or inspires you. I start my day by saying “Thank You” followed by what I am thankful for….
- Maintain: Try your best to maintain a schedule during the week. Keep a digital or even a wall calendar for all to see.
- Space: Create a work area for yourself and set times that you are available to your kids. No guilt over iPad, phone or gaming time. You may be nurturing the next Bill Gates.
- Support: Call upon your village, your squad. Ask for help from your friends during times that you are working and do the same for them.
- Cook: Cook two meals and share one with a friend to give them a night off and vice versa.
- Tech: Rely on technology. There are great resources available for adults and kids of all levels and interests. Khan Academy for academics, Facebook groups for parenting, Cosmic Kids for kid’s yoga and wellness to name a few.
- Time: Carve out breaks for you. Meditate, work out, listen to music, read a book. Something for you with no interruptions.
- Boundaries: Schedule time in your calendar for family. Just like you would schedule an important meeting, you don’t take calls during that meeting.
- Grateful: Remember to smile, laugh and be grateful for you. You are the boss of you.
- Calm: All joking aside, make sure to breathe and get outdoors for a walk around your neighborhood to clear your head and give you a fresh perspective.
You may not be thriving currently, but during this time it is all about surviving. Above all, you are resilient, you are fierce and you will be back. Cheers to all the Super Women out there!
Author: Kristina Schneider is a self-described Wonder Woman, work wife, mother to two beautiful teenage daughters, caretaker to her 86- year old mother, volunteer, weekend warrior, and partner at ADROC Productions South, Inc, a brand experience marketing agency founded in 1996.