Unprecedented Times Require Unprecedented Forgiveness

I had written a different post with tips and ideas on what to do while social distancing, but then realized that may not be what we need right now.

There’s no shortage of COVID-19 information out there — from traditional media to blogs, emails from retailers and social media posts from anyone with an opinion, webinars from public and private organizations trying to be relevant and texts offering a blend of love, worry and manic tips from friends and family trying to be helpful from afar.

Wanting to add a dash of practical positivity to the mix I wrote a post about how to “make the most” of social distancing, based on my own experience practicing this every winter due to my chronic lung condition. I thought there were some pretty good tips in there, and I planned to publish it today.

But as the situation kept evolving the panic kept morphing. The more things moved in the news the more I started feeling stuck in relation to my to-do list. The more I talked with people the more I realized that people were feeling lost, overwhelmed or confused. The more I paid attention, the more I realized that people don’t need one more piece of information. What we all need is one simple thing.

We all need to forgive ourselves just a little more during these coming days.

Can’t concentrate? Forgive yourself.

Didn’t get in your 10,000 steps? Forgive yourself.

Stress-eating too much chocolate? Forgive yourself.

Checking Twitter or Facebook a little more than usual? Forgive yourself.

Barely touched your to-do list? Forgive yourself.

Letting your kids watch way more TV than they should? Forgive yourself.

Went into a panic-buying spree at the grocery store? Forgive yourself.

During unprecedented times of challenge we must adjust our expectations of ourselves.

If we choose to forgive ourselves, we’ll be more inclined to forgive others. And when we find compassion for each other in times of uncertainty, we will most certainly come out on the other side.