I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Focus on the self in times of struggle. Focus on what I can control. This has been a key takeaway from this pandemic for me. Very early on I was angry, frustrated, and upset. I’ve since learned doing the daily stoics and reading other books that I can’t control the pandemic. What I can control is my choices and thoughts. I started to prepare myself for the long haul. Expecting us to be home through the end of 2020. A nice middle ground would be the fall and summer the best case scenario. I am now expecting it to be 2021 before we go back as there are still a lot of unknowns about the pandemic.

That means I must prepare for the winter. Currently, I spend as much time outside during my work day. I start my day with a run. I take meetings on my back porch and walk during lunch. It’s my way of coping with this thing because I know it can wear me down if I’m in the house all day at the same place I like to relax. It’s worked well. With winter coming I won’t have that luxury with 30 degree weather. I’m starting to plan for that scenario and think about how I’m going to get through this without going crazy. That’s probably the biggest benefit I’ve had from this pandemic. Learning to deal with struggle in a more effective way.