I call it the COVID calm, are you feeling it? It’s that feeling like “Hey, I’m not sure I am supposed to be feeling this way, but I’m actually doing really well.”

I will admit that this is exactly what I am feeling. I am fully aware that there is a pandemic. I am aware that people are losing loved ones, and while I am terrified of someone I love getting infected, my ability to shelter in place, plan fun activities for myself and my kids, not have to pack lunches, not rush out the door in the morning, not make sure bags are packed, not run from activity to activity with a toddler in tow, and have the ability to almost completely control my time and my environment is an amazing feeling…. And it’s also not real life, which I am completely aware of.

I work with people who have anxiety and a lot of those people are mom’s. This feeling of constantly running, of never having enough time to be 100% present in any aspect of life, the feeling of constantly failing is real. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, the daily stressors of life have been lifted and for some of us, it feels good.

If you are feeling this, please, please, please take the time to enjoy it.

Find some aspects of what is making your time sheltering in place feel good, and try to keep it up. At the end of the day write down something about the day that made you feel good, a time in the day when you were really present, and try to make it part of your daily routine. No one knows how long this pause in life will last for, but I can promise you that at some point in the future, things will get busy again, and you will wish you had some time at home.