How are you getting used to your new normality or new reality?

We are living in very strange and for some of us very scary times, of that there is no doubt!

Our new “normalities” or “realities” have for the most part been “imposed” upon us, whether that is self-imposed or government imposed - there are a lot of restrictions!

For many of us this new way of life is now our “new norm” and in order to get through it, we all have to find a way to deal with it in our own way. There are no right or wrong way.

Where I am

In Ireland our government has now moved into a more intensive phase of the response to COVID-19. A "lock-in" in you will.

They have recently requested that citizens embrace a further set of restrictions effective from midnight last Friday up until midnight on Easter Sunday 12th April in an effort to drive the spread of the virus away from the communities and back into the homes so that we can stem the spread and “flatten the curve”.

We have been advised to "stay at home" and that venturing outside should only be done to buy food and medicine or to go to work only if your job cannot be done from home and if it is an essential service. Food stores and pharmacies will stay open during this emergency and we have been advised not to go outside a 2km radius when exercising

And so while we have for the past few weeks being practicing social distancing and observing the coughing and sneezing etiquette along with regularly and thorough washing of hands these latest set of measures appear to have really focused the population.

Our numbers

While our numbers are not as shocking as those around the world, within our environs they are very worrying and relative to the size of our small population.

We are already acutely aware of how strained our public health system was before this crisis and so the added burden of this pandemic has only created even more of a strain on our public health service.

Our private hospitals have now become public hospitals to help in the crisis and perhaps this change will become more permanent and will help to alleviate the strain on the public health service when this is all over.

Eighty-eight people currently in intensive care as I write and thankfully as yet no hospital has
reached it’s ICU capacity.

We are so very lucky to have so many medics and front line staff stepping up to help us all in these uncertain times.

Closer to home

For me I have been reflecting upon the past few weeks when our schools and colleges closed on 12th March and when my world “turned upside down”. I worried about my two young children, and how they would cope with interruption to their schoolwork and learning and social lives.

I’m delighted to report for the moment they appear to have coped very well with the new change, happy to work on their schoolwork in the mornings each weekday and take exercise breaks during the day.

On Friday morning and before the government restrictions were announced I finally managed to get “remote access” to work from home. So, from Monday morning my “new work environment” will be my kitchen table.

A different perspective

I can’t help thinking how very strange the Universe works.

How many of us have asked for a change in work circumstances, an ability to be able to “work from home” so that we can enjoy our family life more?

How many of us have asked for more time – to be able to work on our dream of having a successful “online business” that will allow us the financial freedom that we all crave?

How many of us have asked for everything to just “slow down”?

How many of us have worried about the effects modern living is having on our planet, on our physical bodies, on our mental health?

It has been said that when we are out the other side of this pandemic and life slowly starts to return to the way it was before, perhaps we will have learnt some vital lessons.

Perhaps the “new way” we do business or “live” our life will be the way we will continue without the “need to” hanging over us.

There is so much to ponder…for another day perhaps!

Blessings in disguise – from my perspective

Spending more time with my husband, who along with working full time is also an adult and juvenile gaelic football coach and is usually missing many nights during the week.

I do feel sorry for him and so many others within the sporting industry as so many sporting seasons will be lost this year, and that is a great pity!

Spending more time with my children, my 12yr old son before this was showing signs of “growing away” from us – which I understand is normal given his new transition to teenager.

Now I feel like I have been given a bonus few months to really appreciate my relationship with him and his “need for me” to continue a bit longer.

My 9yr old daughter continues to be the happy-go-lucky child and gives us endless pleasure. We are completely enjoying our “unit of 4” without outside influences.

Not wearing make-up each and every day – my skin is positively singing!

Walking 5km daily – I feel better and I am sleeping better.

TV Binge – just for fun!

I thought I might share with you some light entertainment that you might wish to try out for yourself if you want to relax and switch off…enjoy!

Netflix - Schitt’s Creek - 5 Seasons – 22min episodes – Guidance

Amazon Prime video – Community – 6 seasons – PG

Disney Plus – The World According to Jeff Goldblum – 1 season – Documentary

Something new that I found to help me

And finally in case you have not already come across it and wish to make your own images without having to sign up to "photoshop editor" I recently came across this site https://www.photopea.com/ that works a treat and which I have used to create .png images.

I hope wherever you are in the world that you are safe and well. This wonderful community has been a life line for so many of us and never more so now when our "off-line worlds" are shrinking even more.

Happy Sunday and be well one and all ~ Jules