Today I remember that it’s OK to not have the same level of productivity as we all did pre-COVID. As the new semester begins, I find myself amazed that my To-Do list that would once have, at this point in the day, neat lines crossing out all those things I accomplished instead contains eight items left completely unfinished. I’m not the same person I was this time last year. I can’t do the same things in the same way.
I believe the constant level of pandemic stress combined with everything we’ve all been thinking through–whether politics, social justice, or the best kind of learning for our children–makes everyone exhausted all the time. Perhaps we’re at half capacity externally because internally we’re doing so much work. Our brain is working hard every day, all day. We live in uncertainty and need to adapt mentally nearly every day.
So when you feel like you’re not working hard like you used to externally, remember how hard you’re working internally.