Many of our worlds have been turned upside down with the Coronavirus wreaking havoc on the human race. We all have been affected in a very personal way. At a time of heightened emotions and fear we are challenged to reset and focus on what is truly most important.

As someone who has worked from home for nearly the last decade, I too am having to shift my priorities and schedule to accommodate my “new normal.” I am grateful I have the flexibility to work from home and homeschool my children. This change does come with a bit of challenges that I am working through daily and I’d like to share how I’ve had to remind myself about grace.

My children’s schedule will be off.

Yes, we all love it when we’ve gotten a routine down for our kids. It helps them and it helps us. However, now that they are at home it is impossible for me to both work and homeschool on a strict schedule. They go to sleep later and even wake up later. That’s okay. Focusing on giving them breaks while learning how to do school from home is important. It’s also even more imperative to comfort them during this time of uncertainty. Underneath it all they are experiencing an array of emotions as well so love more on your kids and throw a few rules out of the window.

I won’t be at the top of my game at work.

I am a perfectionist and like to be extremely efficient throughout my day. I sort of have to since I work at home and it requires me to eliminate distractions and stay focused so that I reach my milestones daily. I also was raised to have strong work ethic. Becoming a homeschool teacher recently has changed the game and I find myself being more concerned about educating my children and being there for them. Although, I’m making more time for my kids throughout the day I find time at night to finish up any overdue to-do items. I understand this is not the case for many people and I am thankful I work for a flexible employer. I have to remind myself that my coworkers are in a similar boat so there is no judgement being cast.

My fitness schedule may fall by the wayside.

Working at home it is even more important to make time for my physical health. Pre-COVID-19 I was regularly going to the gym and getting my strength training in. I’m encouraged by all the posts of people finding creative ways to get their exercise in at home. I am planning on challenging myself as I straighten out my new routine, however I’m not rushing myself though. I need to work through all these changes and be kind to myself. One day at a time I will re-incorporate some exercises and even pull the kids in so they can burn off some energy.

A little binge watching never hurt anybody

So remember all those new year’s resolutions you made where you cancelled all of your streaming subscriptions minus Amazon Prime Video and Netflix? I had good intentions of being more productive in 2020 so binge watching had to get the boot. I instantly refocused my time on podcasts, reading, writing and spring cleaning. All that quickly changed when our state was put on a stay at home order.  I resubscribed to a few favorite streaming services and even added some new ones to the list. After a long day of work and homeschooling I have something to look forward to in the midst of all the uncertainty. And that’s okay.

I share all that to say, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your world has drastically changed and it’s okay to stray from your normal routine. Because nothing is normal. We are living in a new normal. Let there be grace.”