Quarantine Life: The “New” Normal

Welcome To quarantine life: The “New” Normal.

One day your living your life-day in and day out-on repeat. Everything seems fine..maybe a little off every now and then but for the most part-normal. Then SUDDENLY everything changes. Everything is up in the air in limbo.

What comes next?
When will all of this end?

The questions are endless and the anxiety caused by the unknown is suffocating. One moment you feel fearless–YES!! Let’s do this!! Then the next you feel hopeless, invisible and isolated. Head to toe protection becomes your new normal. Masks and hand sanitizer your new best friends. You see the world differently now.

Man..so oblivious before. Why does it take something “bad” or “scary” to happen to open up our eyes?

Why didn’t you see TIME as a precious commodity before? Why weren’t you already sitting down to family dinners more often? Or thanking the medical teams who work tirelessly & selflessly around the clock now matter what the situation may be? Your appreciation for the nurses and their care has grown immensely. How can they still be so happy & kind after staring death straight in the face over and over?

You have come to appreciate the little things in life now. You hear the birds chirping while enjoying your morning cup of coffee. You breathe in deep as you step outside to let the sunshine warm up your face–even for just a quick moment.

How good it feels to be able to just stop… to slow down & feel the breeze kiss across your skin.

You find new ways to be more frugal and watch your spending. Because to be honest you don’t know what extra expenses may arise from all this mess and bills are still piling up. Who knows where the extra funds needed are going to come from. But you have decided you will stay positive and tap into a new you.

Yes, life has changed suddenly & drastically but if you can recognize & drown out the fear when it try’s to creep in then you have gained so much more out of this experience than you have lost. Don’t rush back to life as it once was. It’s important now more than ever stay mindful. To stay present. To stay grateful. Life will eventually return to a normal but it will be a “new normal” filled with awareness, joy, sadness and growth— welcome to the life of a cancer thriver.

Now we are all WARRIORS.
Survive then thrive.

Quarantine Life: The “New” Normal

All of the posts written for Elephants and Tea are contributed by patients, survivors, caregivers and loved ones dealing with cancer.  If you have a story or experience you would like to share with the cancer community we would love to hear from you!  Please submit your idea at https://elephantsandtea.org/contact/submissions/.