The New Normal

A view through the eyes of someone who lives through it every day.

My names Angela and this is my blog, I have lived with chronic pain for 17 years. I’m hoping to show you that grieving the old life and embracing the new, doesn’t have to be difficult or hard.

“In times of crisis, let it be the perfect time for self-reflection”

Angela Jade – Find yourself here.

What can you learn about yourself from this pandemic?

I live with chronic pain and have done for over 17 years. My world has stopped many times before this virus shut down the world and now being quarantined sounds like the new normal for so many people across the globe.

I’ve learnt over the years how to live with life not going to plan and how this can help you relate to a new way of living.

Just like chronic pain patients, the first thing we will all want is for things to go back to normal. What we don’t realize is that we can’t, this is a new world that is upon us. Virus or not, the world is changing.

We all have to create our new normal, just like chronic pain patients have had to do for some time.

We have two choices in times of fear, we can face it and continue living our lives and make a difference to our inner circle or we can live in a constant state of fear, causing chaos in your home and mind.

I can tell you, from years of experience living with chronic pain, that living in fear is a horrible place to live, you are scared of everything that moves and not knowing what one day holds to the next can leave you feeling really uneasy.

Something else being a chronic pain patient has taught me is patience, not waiting to start things I love doing; unless I’m in a flair then, I listen to my body and rest. I can still attempt to do most of the things I envy on my Pinterest feed.

Make a schedule with easily achievable things to get done, like being creative or even just cooking. It helps when you have got a plan, especially when you aren’t getting changed out of your pj’s. Do things to make you feel like your reaching small goals.

I wear clothes that I love every day, It’s good for your soul. We don’t spend money on clothes we love to keep them stored away for a special occasion or rainy day. Wear it and let it bring you joy. Even if it is just for sitting around the house.

If you don’t wear it then get rid of it.

Decluttering and minimizing is great for your mind, body and soul. Having an organised house = less cleaning.

I was very comfortable spending time alone before this pandemic started.
Most of us hadn’t really spent much time alone or even this much time with others.

This can feel daunting and overwhelming, especially for introverts like me. Even for the extroverts, it’s a big ask.

Now is the time to look inside yourself and see what you find, you might be surprised by your thoughts and feelings. Journaling is amazing for this. Freewrite, let it all out. Throw it away without reading, tear it up also works well to release.

I stay away from the mainstream media as much as I can, they tend to add to my anxiety of things that are out of my control.

Don’t get me wrong, by all means, watch a little bit and then go back to the things you can control, your words, your actions, your ideas, your effort, your thoughts, and your behaviour.

We don’t need to change anything around us, we just need to learn to be comfortable in the things that you can control, let go of what you can’t.

I tend to get mad and have a very short fuse when I have no patience left, this is my first sign I need immediate self-care. If our buckets of stress are overflowing every day then, of course, we are going to be mad.

Note: To also check you are not just hungry, we’ve all had days like these.

In times of crisis, let it be the perfect time for self-reflection.

What do you want to continue in your new normal?
What do you not want to take?
what do you want your life to look like, day today?
What does your perfect day look like?

Try and create this in your home, your happiness will increase and this is something you can continue to do within your home into an uncertain future.

This will help your mental health and help calm everyone around you too, you will probably find many of the things you like to do, actually can cost no money and you can do it from home.

Be realistic about what you want and keep it simple. If it’s not simple, keep going until it’s simplified.

I’ve found there is importance in finding things to do and learning new things, at any age.

Try, fail and try again, maybe try something different next time. Until you find things that you get the joy smile from.

So far I have learnt while in quarantine…

How to make a sourdough starter kit.

Created alcohol ink art

I’ve planted in my new veggie patch my man built me and am growing my own veggies and some amazing fruit in pots. Watching things grow is a soul refresh.

I have picked a room a day and decluttered it over and over until it worked well and stayed clean.

Iv help my child write a book over the phone while she was at her dad’s. She created a line and then I created a line. She was so happy to make this with me, even over the phone people are able to spread joy to others even without seeing them face to face.

Be creative. have fun and remember to not wait for this virus to stop, before starting to live your life even if it is from your home for the time being.

What does your new normal look like?