Fight the Thermostat: Make your COVID-19 reset last

Half a year after the onset of COVID19 and…are you thinking what I’m thinking? You’re ready to get back to normalcy?

Following months of international lockdown and quarantine measures, more and more countries have been reopening borders and organisations are slowly either returning to or getting to what would be full service.

As ominous as it was though, COVID-19 almost seems to have been used to wipe out some joy-draining demons and to bring newness and vigour to the lives of many. It seems like one oppressor that it attacked was the accursed ‘Busy Life’. The downtime many experienced meant that some persons were finally spending time with God, some started projects, some exercised, changed eating habits, made masks, or were doing well-needed family nights.

And so it seems like one oppressor that was severely punished by COVID-19 was the accursed ‘Busy Life’. Yes! ‘Busy Life’ was taken to the cross and crucified – at least temporarily! Suddenly, millions of persons across the world had weeks or months of free time at their disposal and could have – with wisdom – checked many boxes from their ‘To Do’ lists. Let’s hope that you did!

But now, the COVID-19 onset – as all things bad and good – comes to an end, and the world is prepping to “carry on with life”. And the question on the minds of many – what would the new norm look like?

Well, I have the answer to what it could look like – your pre-COVID-19 demanding life!

While I get it that for many this is good news as it means that they have a job and income to return to, for many more, a return to pre-COVID demands is absolutely horrid as it means a return to topsy-turvy priorities. You see, very often, our habits, the culture around us, act as a thermostat – pulling us back to what was set as the ‘norm’. Pulling us back to the drudge of the overworked life, full of complaints, harmful connections and all-consuming, voracious demands.

As you are beginning to rebuild your schedules, you may be tempted to return to your donated overtime at your job; the side hustle or additional project that will earn you the income you need. Then of course, you must return your kids to the scroll of extracurricular activities, resume of Friday-night lime with the crew – after all, it’s been months since your last beer! - Your social clubs begin to send out meeting notices, your afternoon/after work classes resume, your gym reminds you that their free COVID-19 package will soon end, and oh yes…don’t forget your Facebook and Instagram time.

You see, the thermostat is pulling back to the ‘norm’. However, before you toss yourself back into the insatiable clutches of the busy life, please consider this – you need intentionality in order to make your COVID-19 RESET last!

How do you do achieve that? Follow these simple tips:

1. Reexamine – Chances are that during the pandemic, you got a clearer picture of what was really essential for life. Be intentional about shedding the excess;

2. Rest & Relax – Hopefully 2020 has taught you that rest IS NOT a concept and that your body needs it. Plan for it;

3. Reprioritise – Com’n guys, stop thinking that you needed to have everything that you were involved in or that they needed you. Be serious about shedding the things that would not help you achieve your life-goals and taking up those that are necessary for growth (yes – the ones that you didn’t have time for before 2020 – things like relationship with God, your family, healthy relationships come to mind);

4. Write it down (‘Write’ should be ‘rite’ to continue my ‘r’s) – Note what your are shedding, and now making a priority so that when the thermostat pulls again, your mind doesn’t justify a return to the norm;

5. Rebuild carefully – with your mind being shifted and renewed, rebuild with caution, being intentional not to simply return to what feels ‘normal’ to you;

If you take only one things from this post, let it be this – you need intentionality in order to make your COVID-19 RESET last!

We’re Rezource Houze – “take what you want, say what you need;

we’ll see how we can help”.