Words of Encouragement in Challenging Times


Does the recent pandemic have you feeling overwhelmed?  Many people are struggling with a low mood, feeling sluggish, tired and lacking in energy and motivation, while others are having trouble sleeping well or using substances to cope. 

Try, for a minute, to fast forward your overwhelmed brain to the year 2030. What would you like to remember from 10 years earlier? In November of 2030, will you be able to recall the commitment you made to take care of yourself and your loved ones, for the upcoming winter months? Can you reflect with pride the plan to get outdoors every day, regardless of the weather? When you look back on how your overloaded COVID-brain impacted you, can you say you learned some important lessons?   

We know the initial pandemic 'sprint,' seven months ago, has literally become a 'marathon.'  The initial intense, highly focused and energetic response we had in late March, has worn us out. Many of you were happy about spending more time at home, planning safe activities with your kids, with plans for more healthy, home-cooked meals. "I'm going to clean out all my closets, get on the treadmill every day, finish that puzzle with my son," may have been your mantra. Those who live alone probably haven't relished all the time flying solo. Most people have experienced ups and downs, and any time you're in a marathon, it's essential that we conserve our energy for the long haul. Not an easy feat, as most marathon runners would tell us.  We know our internal reserves of patience, tolerance and energy are draining or, for many people, are completely empty. 

Consider the advice of author Stephen Covey. He wrote the New York Times bestseller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in which he recommends when we begin a new project or a new life chapter, such as this 'COVID chapter,' that we "begin with the end in mind." This advice means to think beyond today. Develop a clear picture of how you want your kids to turn out, for example, or a picture of what you want to accomplish now. When you look back on your life, will you regret how you managed your life during COVID-19? Think about how you want you or your kids to be prepared to manage the adversity they will inevitably face in life. When we build a house, we start with a blueprint first, to guide us along the way. To create a birthday cake, we start by following a recipe. We think of how that house will look or that birthday cake will look when it's done, but we follow steps along the way. Did you know we tend to treat our friends and loved ones better when we think about the long-term consequences of being treated poorly? If you were putting together a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, you would never start until you studied the picture on the front of the box. Without it, you'd have no clue where to begin. So, think about how you would like you or your family to come out after the pandemic has subsided. Do you want to be stronger, closer and more adaptable to change? Then think about what you can do each day towards those goals. As Dr. Covey says, "your most important work is always ahead of you, never behind you."

We're an amazing community of people who worked through challenging circumstances. We did some things right, and some things wrong, but we learned from all of it. Will these lessons matter in 10 years? Yes! We can be assured that no matter the challenges of the coming months and years, our abilities to sustain prolonged uncertainty and stress have prepared us. 

It is important to acknowledge we don't have all the answers and we don't like having no control over certain parts of our lives. It IS uncomfortable and it  IS okay to acknowledge we don't like it.  At some point in our lives, we hope to all look back on this time and say, "wow…we really dealt with some hard stuff, but we got through it. Most of us are probably looking forward to seeing this life chapter in our rearview mirrors. We don't know when and we don't really know how, but, this too, shall pass. 

If you need help feeling stronger, and more prepared, please call the NIH Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at 301-496-3164 for a confidential and free assessment or visit https://go.usa.gov/x7CTy. EAP can help you reflect on what has worked for you in the past with previous life stressors.  We can help you take a look at what is depleting and what is restorative for you.  We can help you develop a plan for what you'd like to see when you look back on the year 2020.

Dr. Covey tells us that our wisdom comes from balance and a solid connection with our inner voice.  He defines balance as "living, loving, learning and leaving a legacy over a lifetime" (Stephen Covey, First Things First, 1994).

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On December 5, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security announced an extension of the REAL ID full enforcement deadline to May 7, 2025. Learn more about the REAL ID Extension.​

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