Exploring Identity Before and After COVID-19
To say this last month has been so incredibly strange is simply an understatement. I will have days when I wake up and think it was all just a bad dream and quickly realize that this is actually our new reality.
The hardest part of this COVID journey has been determining who I am while journeying through this season of uncertainty. Before COVID, I had a strict routine and many of you can relate to that. Each day, I played a distinct role in solving problems and helping businesses reach their true, untapped potential. Lately, I have found myself walking around my house wearing a baseball hat that says “WIFEY” across the front in big, bold letters, wondering if I have lost my mind and when the “real Amber” would be back.
In this season, I have been reminded of who I am without all of the titles that the world gives me. At work, I am called a CEO, a boss, a business owner and an entrepreneur. With these days being spent at home rather than running from meeting to meeting, the title I give myself has shifted. While I still identify with all of those things, the other titles that define me have taken precedent. Above all else, I am a wife and a mother. In these last few weeks, these titles have guided my day to day.
Do you ever get home from a day at work and feel a rush from the sense of accomplishment you received from a productive day in the office? While I haven’t had that exact feeling in over a month, I am realizing that I get that same “rush” by doing a puzzle with our kids or walking to the mailbox every day, which is like my outing of the day. It is crazy how much I look forward to it!
As crazy as it sounds, I think we were all sick long before COVID got here. We were all so busy, so overwhelmed and so disconnected from what matters most. I, like many others, am reminded of my true purpose, where my priorities lie and what really matters most in life. I am so appreciative of this break; this opportunity to reconnect with what is truly important. I almost forgot that the most influential roles I could ever play are as a wife and as a mom. Quarantine has been more rewarding than I imagined. It has given me the opportunity to reconnect.
This all will pass and we will all go back to life as “normal,” but I hope to take this sense of grounding with me into the next chapter. I have learned to appreciate downtime and see it as something other than a sign of failure or weakness. When you remember who YOU are, you won’t need the titles or achievements for validation. Appreciate this time and use it to your advantage. If there ever was a time to appreciate the little things, this is it.