So, half of my family tested positive for Covid-19 last week, and let’s just say, it has been less than ideal. The physical sickness, the mental and emotional toll of having to be away from my family and stuck in my room for over a week has been incredibly draining, lonely, and a bit of a faith test if I am honest. But as much as I have hated this time dealing with covid and feeling isolated and confused, I can’t help but think I probably needed this. Not necessarily the sickness itself, but this time to slow down and be still. Before I got covid, I was quite busy with no sign of slowing down. Even though if you’d asked how I was doing, I would have said I was fine, I wasn’t doing well on the inside. I was living in survival mode, telling myself “Once I finish this I can relax and take time for myself” but thing after thing kept coming up. I was doing the best I could with all I had going on, but if I am honest, I wasn’t well at all. I was pretty stressed and anxious, getting less and less time for myself and with God. So as lame as getting covid has been, I think in hindsight it was necessary and maybe even critical for my mental health.
Sometimes when we are in survival mode and have been for a while, it becomes a part of our normal so we think we are “fine”. We don’t feel like we are struggling because this is just “how we normally feel“. We get used to it. But we were never meant to live in survival mode forever. It may have helped us get through a tough season for a time, but there’s a time when it begins to do more harm than good. We must survive, then take time to process, heal, and grow, so that we can thrive. If I hadn’t gotten covid, I probably on my own wouldn’t have taken this time to slow down. I would have waited for another big event to happen that would have forced me to slow down and I’ve decided that is no longer how I want to live. I am choosing to check in with myself often. I am choosing to not just accept anxiety and stress as my normal because it does not have to be. I am refusing to believe that busier seasons are “just stressful” and heighten my anxiety and that’s something I’ll just have to deal with. I am choosing peace in all seasons of life because I know it is available to me, and it is available to you too.
I want you to check in with yourself. Ask yourself, am I genuinely doing well, or am I stuck in survival mode? Am I doing a good job at balancing everything I have going on and taking care of myself? Is there any way I can slow down and take some distraction-free time for myself to see what’s really going on instead of being so quick to say “I’m good”? Let’s become better at this together. Peace & love to you all (:
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Journey To Me 
This is amazing Teya! Only wisdom immaturity, and overcoming something could bring you to such a profound truth. Thank you for sharing. Love you!
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Wow. This is a reminder for me that I don’t always have to live in “survival mode” it’s ok, to chill and relax! Thank you for this!
Praying for a speedy recovery on your Covid journey. ❤️
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YESSSS to all of this!!!
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Thank you for your candidness and care throughout this piece. Reflection moment to moment takes nothing more than a conscious breath. Thank you for reminding us to exhale.
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This met me exactly where I am, and made me go into self awareness, and im glad I read it this
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Dealing with this right now
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Chileee thank you so much for this Teya☺️ Sometimes I don’t even know that I’m on survival mode so this was hitting the hammer in the mail to just slow down take a breather ☺️
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Honest, beautiful and so, so relevant. A word for us all as we often get consumed by our fast paced world. You are right, we do need to balance our competing interests. You are so wise!!
Love you, Auntie Yvette
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WOW!! Spoken soooooo well. So young and so wise & mature. God loves you and so do I 😘
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SO GOOD. SO TRUE. SO RELEVANT!! Thank you for this timely reminder sweetie!!
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Yes Teya! One, I’m glad for your recovery. Two, all of this! I loved the part of refusing to believe busier seasons mean more stress! Continue checking in with your self, love.
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I’m praying you are feeling better and grateful during such a difficult time you were able to find some solace in checking in with yourself. I definitely agree, half the time people ask “how are you?” I reply “alright.” But 9/10 I am not alright- I just say it so we can move on with what’s needed. I appreciate you being candid ❤️.
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I’m praying you are feeling better and grateful during such a difficult time you were able to find some solace in checking in with yourself. I definitely agree, half the time people ask “how are you?” I reply “alright.” But 9/10 I am not alright- I just say it so we can move on with what’s needed. I appreciate you being candid ❤️ ❤️
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Brilliantly said… I can agree with what you’ve shared about life not slowing down and you continually getting back into a new thing right after completing the previous thing… We have to be intentional with making sure we get that time to SLOW down… this blessed my life TeyTey
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Wow! Thank you so much for this piece. Made me realise I’m currently on ‘survival mode’.I really need to slow down and ‘check in with myself. .May God bless you Teya.
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Little sister we meet again. I have truly found this as a safe place a refuge. I appreciate your transparency and ability to be so open in your vulnerable space. I sincerely apologize that quarantine left you questionable. I admire the fact that you remained not busy but productive during such a trying time. Quarantine took a toll on me as well. Ive never dealt with Covid i commend you and your family’s strength during this time. I want you to look up a song called Angel by 5 Young Men. Your to young for them lol but definitely look them up. Theres this particular song called Angel that they sing when I heard you sing I thought of the octive however you spell it range that you and your sibling’s carry. It puts me in the mind of you all. I also spent a lot of time sitting with nature. Thats my escape it makes me feel like im closer to God. Although since then I dont have the attention span like I used to to sit through a movie or tv show. Or my drum set to keep me occupied I journal. I usually always lose them and I pray whoever hands they end up in eyes are blessed with my words and that their heart can receive the words with ought feeling overwhelmed. Im extremely proud of you maturity and I won’t say for your age because the number in my eyes doesn’t matter I mean look at Solomon or even the young woman who touched Jesus garment they were young but had the maturity of 3 wise man. Take Care Little Sister 2 Thessalonians 3:3
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