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This is harder than I expected.

No, I’m not sick. And none of my loved ones are. So, for those of you who are sick or who are dealing with the illness or (God forbid) the death of a loved one, I cannot imagine your burden.

But even for those of us who are simply being asked to stay home, this is proving hard in some unexpected ways.

If you’re in a position of leadership, your feelings may be very confusing right now. Even erratic.

Not What We Expected

I’m used to knowing what to do. And helping others know what to do.

If you had told me a month ago that I’d be sitting at home for weeks without feeling sick or having anywhere to be, I’d have thought “Wow! I’m going to get so much done! I’ll have a rough draft of that new book knocked down! I’ll start a new podcast, and who knows what else!”

But I’m not. Not to the degree I expected, that’s for sure.

Barely Hanging On

Some days it feels like I’m barely hanging on, myself.

But I feel a responsibility to lead. To help. To bless others.

In fact, I don’t just feel that responsibility, I have that responsibility.

And yet, how do I do that when each day feels like it runs past me in bits and pieces? Barely able to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time?

Give Yourself A Break

I know I’m not alone in feeling this.

Right now there are a lot of people in positions of leadership with similar feelings of helplessness.

So, in the few minutes I can concentrate long enough to write this, let me offer a short word of hope.

Give yourself a break. I plan to.

Slow down.

Don’t push.

Relax.

Stay healthy first.

It’s okay if you don’t have the answers right now. None of us have clear answers at the moment.

But we know the one who does.

So lean on Jesus.

Lean on each other.

And let yourself grieve, mourn, or just feel *blah* for a while.

Taking A Walk

When I have moments of clarity, I’ve been chiseling away at what may or may not be my next article, tentatively titled 11 Self-Care Steps For Leaders Who Are Barely Holding On.

It’s looking like it will be a list of tips for how leaders can keep sane in the middle of this, so we can be the blessing to others that we want to be.

I hope it will help.

We’ll see.

But right now I’m going to stop writing, take a walk, then read a book (for as long as I can concentrate on it), and give myself a break from feeling responsible for anyone else.

If you need to do the same, don’t feel guilty for it.

Until next time…

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