Five habits for wholeness to foster in a “new normal” …

The term “new normal” has been batted around so much the past few months that people are already weary of it.

Personally, I think the post-pandemic life won’t be very different for most people.

But it could be.

It could be much better, but only by intentionally fostering and maintaining some key habits that become a routine part of daily living. Those key habits include:

1. Spiritual renewal. At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, churches saw a big spike in people tuning into online church services … then it peaked … then it declined. Recent surveys reveal that at least one-third of people who regularly attended church pre-pandemic have now tuned out from church — online or in-person — altogether. Another survey revealed that Christians report a decline in their reading of the Bible, which was already anemic at best. During one of the greatest global crises in our lives, Christians have reduced their spiritual disciplines rather than turning to draw closer to God. What did they turn to? Another survey of Christians reports most turned to streaming movies as a primary way to deal with the pandemic. For a “new normal” to bring a better life, spiritual renewal will need to be the first and greatest priority.

2. Nurturing relationships. A primary lesson from living through a pandemic is a greater realization of our need for each other and desire for relationships. However, many didn’t do well with relationships while in self-quarantine, as witnessed by significant upticks in martial and family conflict, divorces filed for, and domestic abuse. A better “new normal” will require forgiving and being forgiven, reconciliations, and intentional nurturing of relationships. Remember, most relationships (of any kind) that fail do so because we fail to nurture them well.

3. Physical activity. Long before a pandemic was even on the horizon, medical researchers were already warning us of the dangers of physical inactivity, with some studies calling a sedentary lifestyle the “new cancer” with regard to the negative impact for health and fitness. During the pandemic, many closed themselves up in their homes and melded themselves to their couches or beds to indulge in Netflix marathons and giving little to no thought about the physical activity their minds and bodies desperately needed. A better “new normal” demands we ditch sedentary lives for lifestyles that include and prioritize more physical activities, movement, and intentional exercise.

4. Sleep and rest. Adequate and quality sleep and rest impacts our lives in every way – spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most of us had poor sleep habits and lacked rest prior to the pandemic, and didn’t make those any better during the pandemic. For a better life in a “new normal,” people need to develop as permanent habits the priorities of adequate and quality sleep and rest.

5. Healthy nutrition. During the pandemic, many people fed their stress and emotions — literally! Instead of addressing appropriately the stress, anxiety, and mental health issues raised by a pandemic, many have turned to eating, and not in a healthy and nutritious way. A growing field of “nutritional psychiatry” is teaching us that what we eat has a dramatic (often life-changing) impact on our mental and behavioral health, in addition to the already known fact that our diets directly affect our physical health. To have a better “new normal,” many will have to get serious about adopting a lifestyle of healthy nutrition.

More than half a year of surviving a pandemic has provided all of us more time to contemplate the lives we had been living, and many say they would like a better “new normal.” You CAN have a better “new normal,” but whether or not you do depends on the habits you develop and foster in it.

Scotty