Seven Ways to Slay During the Coronavirus

As we all struggle to adapt to these challenging and changing times, I thought I’d share a roundup of seven ways to slay during the Coronavirus. I’ve been Skyping into morning talk shows across the country — from Washington, D.C., to San Antonio, Texas — to share these important mental mindset shifts.  

I’m not going to lie, it’s been fun to get this message out there without having to get on an airplane or spend a bunch of money on clothes, hair and makeup! It’s remarkable to see how everyone in the TV industry is adapting and adjusting and still delivering news and entertainment from home. 

Going into this new week, see if you can focus on 2-3 of the slays below to bring yourself some much-needed relief!

1. Divide and conquer household chores. Use this time to stop being the point person for all household tasks. No one is too busy to help out around the house. Kids can do their own laundry, husbands can help change the beds, and everyone can take out the trash. 
2. Turn your extra time into me time. You have been given the gift of time. All the time you used to spend driving, dropping, waiting, washing, cleaning and commuting in your car is now yours to spend. How can you carve out a piece of that time for you? Surely you can squeeze in an extra walk, bike ride or a bath without interruption.  
3.  Find the funny. Shonda Rhimes, Jimmy Fallon, Lin-Manuel Miranda are all opening up about how hard it is to work from home while having young kids.  While you likely feel isolated at home, just remember that millions of people, all around the world, are experiencing the exact same pain points right now. You’re not alone.
4. Stop turning less into more. You have been mandated to manage your life with less hustle, bustle, running, racing, dragging, dropping, etc. Resist the temptation to fill this gift of down time with so many home/life/DIY projects that you end up, once again, with no time. (Puppy adoptions are through the roof.) Filling the void with MORE is not the point. 
5. Embrace your virtual village. It’s time to stop talking about how much technology can hurt you and focus on how much it could help you. Teenage girls are using Facetime for virtual afternoon workouts with friends, parents are using Alexa (with the screen) to drop in on aging parents and to keep them company, and women everywhere are redefining happy hour with the help of Zoom. 
6. Remove your mask. This is not the time to maintain an armor of perfection. The world is facing an epidemic like no other and it’s OK to be honest about having a hard time with it all. It’s OK to vent, it’s OK to cry, it’s OK to be overwhelmed. Let it out. 
7. Remember you’re a rookie. You’ve never had to juggle/navigate life like this before, so stop expecting to handle it perfectly without even breaking a sweat. You have to give yourself grace when you experience new challenges in your life, and this situation is the perfect place to start developing your self-compassion. Can you be kind to yourself when you’re struggling with something new? 

As you navigate a new normal and try to incorporate the slays above, don’t forget to stop and smell the highs. In the midst of some daunting circumstances, take a minute to identify the silver linings you’ve seen along the way — going on your first bike ride as a family, dusting off that Monopoly game or simply eating dinner without yelling at everyone.  

When facing a lot of lows, make sure to pause and appreciate the highs. The bright parts might be buried in between a lot of dark times, but they’re there if you look hard enough. I promise.