3 ways to stay centered during this pandemic

Don't get me wrong, MEME culture has really been getting me through. The levels to which people can overcome fear of the unknown by creating SNL worthy content is LIFE. And also, eventually, the novelty of this time will wear off. We'll begin to know people more personally who's lives have been affected by COVID-19 in real ways. And the rippling impacts of COVID-19 on our physical and mental health are just beginning to show themselves across the globe. These

are things that face masks and workout routines just can't seem to cover up despite how much we hope.

There's a great article going around, published by the Harvard Business Review entitled, "That Discomfort You're Feeling is Grief." I'd encourage you to read it here if you haven't already. David Kessler is an expert in researching grief. He explains that the emotion many of us are already feeling in this new season of life, is anticipatory grief - the feeling of uncertainty that lies before us.

For Millennials across the United States, we remember the fear of friends and parents as the World Trade Centers burned to the ground. But many of us didn't need to learn how to lean into life after this event because we were too young. The coping mechanics just weren't built into our DNA yet. And so now, as we're peaking into the effects of Corona on the economy, on the lives of our aging parents, the impact this might have for our children, we're stumped because we've never had to live life like this before. Let me rephrase that - we've never had to lead through life like this before.

We're at the cusp of a very significant shift in our culture. As the second largest generation, Millennials are going to need to step into places of leadership that simply can't be filled by the pragmatic and practical leadership of Generation X above us. (Look, I love me some xer's but I also need someone who knows how to troubleshoot their own camera on zoom or find ANYTHING in google drive.) As millennials, we're drawn to community and to creating community, we think about civic duties and implications, we're compassionate for the vulnerable, and we're more stable than the world believes us to be.

As so, as the world begins to look to us, it is mission critical that we begin to posses the necessary leadership postures to get us through a global shift and into human flourishing. I believe these are just 3 ways to begin.

1. Pick up reflective practices:

We are notorious for our inability to sit still without our phones for more than 1 minute. Jason Dorsey says, that "Millennials are not tech savvy but rather tech dependent." I know this to be true simply by my inability to find my way around any city that I have never been to before. I need google maps. But things like social media and online gaming will not teach us how to lead boldly, creatively, or bravely into the face of a storm. Instead, we need to practice things like silence, solitude, self reflection, and prayer. (Check out the Book of Common Prayer if you're looking for ways to begin an inward journey.)

These things draw us into ourselves. They help us locate where our anxiety resides. How it settles in our chest cavity. Where we feel sad. How we feel particularly grieved. The point is not about numbing ourselves so that we no longer feel these things; instead, it's about learning how to lean into these conditions and push forward anyway. Some people call this grit.

And because we're naturally so communal, we will then begin to reflect our thoughts, coping strategies, simply creating space - outward. Inviting tangible experiences to process, debrief, story share within community. All things the promote psychological healing for a larger impact outside ourselves.

2. Be creative:

Older generations have always deemed Millennials as 'so creative.' I believe it was our parents nice way of saying something like, "you're a hot mess, but I don't really want to control you like my parents controlled me so instead I'll just say: You're so creative." In reality, we really just wanted a more balanced approach to life that includes working normal hours, appreciating the created world around us, and eating good food. If that makes us creative, whatever. I tend to think of this as just living holistically.

For us in this time, creativity will require leveraging our skills to foster healing and growth for our communities, work

places, families, friends, whomever. This might mean no longer "business as usual," but instead, "business is checking in to make sure mental health, family life, and personal wellbeing are in tact." Let me assure you, my millennial friends, no generation above us will lead us in these practices; but they are essential to the overall wellbeing of our environments. And so this is where both creativity and strong relationships are necessary in leading up, or out. Whether you're in a leadership position or not, we need to begin asking these questions repeatedly within smaller groups and larger groups; and not just once or twice but like a skipping Britney Spears CD my friends.

3. Begin to exploring meaning

So I totally hijacked this last point from the HBR article. But like a classic article written by older generations, they just leave you hanging on how to create meaning. While we might still be in the midst of COVID -19, unsure what the other side of this looks like, it is okay to name the new things that you're trying either for the first time, or picking back up again, as things that are bringing you life. These things are more than just face masks and painting your nails. My guess is the meaning you're making out

of this time, has to do with the desire to unplug and take a walk instead. Or how nice it is to see the world coming together around positive messages for our mental health. How enlightening businesses can be when they decided to offer products for the common good. These are all meanings we can make out of times of trial. Despite any social narrative we may encounter, people still repurpose and trend towards goodness both personally and for the whole of humanity.

For me, I'm realizing there's so much more life that I don't yet know. I called my grandma yesterday to reflect a bit about this season. I asked her if she remembered a time like this. To which she paused, and said, "Well yes. I was born just out of the great depression. And I can remember, I was 12 years old sitting at the dinner table of a friend's house when we heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. There wasn't a plane that went by after that where I didn't cover my head believing more bombs were coming."

My grandma is in her 90's. She lost 2 husbands, experienced 2 strokes, she lost 3 children, and yet she still loves lime green, cheetah print, her grandchildren, and her convertible. (She does not still drive but would if we let her.) She watches late night TV and sings happy birthday into my voicemail every year. She took a deep breath, "Well Anna, I don't want to take up your whole night. But let me just say this, you've got to have faith that it's going to be alright Anna. It will, I promise. Okay, bye now love!"

If anyone else would have said that to me - I would have marked it a platitude. But from her, someone who has lived through world trauma and deeply personal loss - I believe her. The only way for us to lead fearlessly and passionately forward is find the meaning of our lives. For me it's to have faith that things will get better because I believe that Christ is Lord. What is the meaning you're making for you?