Today I want to bring up something I’ve seen repetitively as I’ve been in my house, like a lot of the rest of us, staying put during the pandemic. I’ve noticed two seemingly conflicting messages on social media.One of those messages is: be productive. This is the message of getting more done and maximizing this time that we have, since many of our lives are disrupted in a way that keeps us more at home. Some people are out actively engaging, but there’s a good portion of us needing to just be at home. I fall into that second category too; I’m working from home and I’m staying in my house. Then there’s another message: give yourself a break, relax, don’t put so much pressure on yourself, you’re doing your best and don’t worry about trying to “be productive.”I ask you to consider that they’re both good messages and they’re both what we need to be doing to make ourselves feel the best that we can. We want to be productive in the sense that we want to feel good about how we spent our time; we want to feel the momentum of our life still moving forward even if we can’t do the same things and engage in the world in the same way. But we also want to give ourselves a break, be accepting and kind to ourselves. To me, that’s actually the best combination, because those two goals involve different parts of ourselves. They’re different aspects of who we are, and they’re actually different realms of science.Being productive in how we’re choosing to spend our time physically is one part of the world. This is the realm of science that is Newton’s Laws. The other part about how we’re relating to ourselves is of the quantum realm or the universal field. This is how the world operates as well, just at a different level.So, when the message of “be productive” comes along, that’s suggesting to us that we want to choose our physical actions to be things that move our lives forward. Why wouldn’t we want to do that? We don’t want to emerge from our houses in 1 month…or 6 months feeling like we backpedaled from where we wanted to be. That time is going to pass whether we use that time to move the momentum of our lives forward or if we don’t. I think that message is a good one: let’s make conscious choices about what our actions are.The other message is needed as well. How are we going to be internally on those more subtle realms of the universe? I think being kind to ourselves and giving ourselves a break is essential as well. Not only do I want to feel like I moved my life forward, but I want to feel relaxed within that. The person you’re with the most, regardless of whether we are in this situation or not, is yourself. If you can interact with yourself and relate to yourself in a way that helps you to feel calm, which usually means with kindness and understanding, you’re going to come out of this stronger, and you’re going to feel better every day.So, for me it’s not a choice of whether I should be productive or I should accept myself. It’s an “and.” I want to be productive AND I want to accept myself. Neither of these need to be perfect.Being productive doesn’t mean that all of a sudden you are getting 5 times done what you normally did, or that you are taking on another project. I personally don’t have “more time,” because I’m a parent of a 3 year old and I am still working my job (just from home) as well. I don’t have more time. I’m not trying to get more done than I did before, but I am trying to keep the momentum going of the projects I had already identified. I am focused on that and being kind to myself in the process. I ask you to consider that today. Are you seeing the two messages as conflicting or do you see how they work together as a way to be during this time that helps us to feel the most grounded and centered that we can be? Where can you do both productivity and self-acceptance, and bring those together in a way that helps you get through this as strongly as you can?