Like many of you, when I first heard of the Million Mask Challenge and found our wonderful local Facebook group, I jumped in with both feet (or with a rotary cutter and thread!), so happy that I could do something positive to help others in this time of crisis. But after sewing virtually non-stop for a few days, I pushed away from the sewing machine and felt something entirely different. I felt tired. I felt stressed. And I felt more than a little cranky.
We are all dealing with the same sets of emotions right now. On one hand, we get to feel like superheroes as we use our sewing skills to help protect as many people as possible. But on the other hand, we live daily with our fears and our sense of loss. Because even if we are able to remain healthy—and I sincerely wish that for all of you—many of us will have lost some things we can never get back.
For instance, my son is a high school senior. He may never get to walk the halls of his school again. His prom is cancelled. He played his last baseball game in March and didn’t even know it. And after shepherding him through school for 13 years, I may not get to see him walk across a stage at graduation. I think about these things nearly every day and my sadness is real, even as I remind myself that what matters most is that we’re all healthy.
Others of you may be dealing with loss of income and an uncertain future. And we’re certainly all dealing with loss of physical interaction. I know we all miss seeing our friends, giving and getting hugs, and sitting down to a meal to catch up on each other’s lives. We know we will have these times again, but right now, the feeling of loss is pervasive.
I wish I could talk to all of you, give you a high-five and reassure you that all will be well—eventually. Since I can’t do that, here are some tips and tricks I’m incorporating to keep my spirits up in these scary times.
Focus on the positives in your life right now. Yes, this sounds a little Pollyanna-ish, but there are multiple good things that are happening in my life even as I navigate these crazy days. As an example, my husband is working from home so I get to have breakfast or lunch with him every day. And since we have no other outside commitments right now, we get to focus on spending lots of quality time together.
Get up and move. Sewing is a very sedentary activity, and I firmly believe that sitting in one spot too long can negatively affect my mood.
As I’ve been sewing these masks, I have devised ways to ensure I get up and move quite a bit. For instance, I keep the mask pieces far enough away from my sewing machine that I have to stand up and walk a couple steps to get them. And I frequently choose to set up the iron in a different room so that I have to walk several steps to complete that task.
Find a way to calm your spirit. For some people, this may be a short devotion you read each morning, for others it may be some quiet meditation. For me—and I know this will sound crazy to people who are already spending much of their day sewing—I like to spend a few minutes doing some sort of handwork, such as applique, cross-stitch or crochet. The rhythmic motion of these activities literally calms my breathing and makes me feel more at ease.
Know that you are a hero. Seriously, you are Rosie the Riveter, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel all in one package. Some of you may have dealt with small doubts about this work we are doing—am I making a difference if I can only do a few at a time, will these masks really help, etc. But hear me when I say this: Every single mask means the world to the person who receives it.
Your community has asked you to serve, and all of you have stepped up to the challenge. Whenever you’re starting to feel a little blue, give yourself a big pat on the back and remember that you rock!
Lastly, I’ll remind all of you to take care of yourselves. Just as the flight attendant always tells you to put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others, we need to remember that we can’t help anyone if we don’t take care of ourselves. Get enough sleep, get a little sunshine (even if it’s only in your backyard) and most importantly, give yourself some grace. Don’t feel pressure to do more than you can do and don’t feel guilty if you work on something else for a bit. Your community is going to need your efforts for some time to come and keeping your spirits up will fuel your work.
We’ll get through this together, one mask at a time.
This is great! Such beautiful reminders. Your son might not have the graduation stage or baseball field to walk upon, but all is said and done, he’ll have had this extra time with you and that is worth more than any accolade or homerun. Also - I literally said to someone yesterday to give themselves some grace and put their own oxygen mask on first. Maybe we are all connected in this by more than just thread and fabric…our minds are starting to meld. 😉