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Plus, three tips on navigating pandemic limbo

View this email online Mar Hernández for NPR Friends,  If you’re feeling caught in limbo, you’re in good company.  According to a recent poll from the American Psychological Association, nearly half of U.S. adults said the pandemic has made planning for their future feel impossible. We can’t go back to the lives we had before the coronavirus pandemic, to all the plans we held in early 2020. And what lies ahead is still murky. There are still so many unknowns — What if there’s another wave? Will I bounce back financially? Will my kids have to quarantine again? What if someone else gets sick? Will I ever feel safe?  So this week, we spoke with journalist and author Suleika Jaouad, who has made it her mission to report from these “in between places.” As a cancer survivor, Suleika is intimately aware of what it feels like to have your life interrupted and your dreams put on indefinite hold. And in the aftermath? There’s no instructional manual for picking up the pieces, no map with directions on how to move forward.   “The truth is that ends of things are harder to pinpoint than the beginnings.” she says. “I think what makes the aftermath of these experiences so challenging is that we want to think that there's a neat endpoint. We want to feel like we can move on from them, but we can't compartmentalize these experiences. ... There is no moving on. Instead, we have to learn how to move forward with them and to carry what lingers.”  Suleika shares three steps that can help you come to terms with what's happened and move forward:  Reckon with the impact of what we've all been through. Allow yourself the space to reimagine what your life is going to look like moving forward, because none of us can return to the person we were or to the lives we had pre-pandemic. Identify what we want to carry forward with us from this experience. Newsletter continues after sponsor message A journaling prompt for those in a liminal space Suleika Jaouad/The Isolation Journals If you’re struggling with the idea of reimagining the future, Suleika shares one of her favorite journaling prompts, written by author Hollye Jacobs. The power of this prompt, Suleika says, lies in its immediacy, in “allowing yourself to daydream but also of writing it in the present tense.”   Imagine yourself at some point in the future — maybe a year from now, maybe five, maybe 10 — living the life of your dreams. This is a normal day, not a holiday or a special day; rather, it is a typical and perfect everyday. What do you see? What do you feel? What do you hear? What do you taste? Who is there with you in your dream day? Describe the day in present tense, from the moment you wake up to the moment that you go to sleep. Creation begins with imagination. The path forward is unclear. That is scary, but it also means there’s room for reinvention. I hope you’re able to take some time to imagine and eventually, to create. For more journaling prompts, head on over to The Isolation Journals. You can hear the rest of our conversation with Suleika Jaouad here. And remember, if you enjoyed this newsletter, you can always forward it to a friend. — Beck Harlan, Life Kit digital and visual editor  Thanks for reading! Look out here for next week's episodes on: 🦃 Hosting Thanksgiving | 🥧 Pies | 📚 Family stories Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy