We’re living in stressful times, that much is evident! We’re worried about our health, the health of friends and family, worried about our employment and retirement future. To top it all off, many of us are living in close-quarters with our families and spending an unprecedented amount of time with them. Yes, this is a blessing! But we’re not going to deny the reality of thinning patience and the truth of the phrase, “familiarity breeds contempt.”

In aviation, a holding pattern is when an aircraft maintains its flight path in a designated space while waiting for clearance to land. Most of us can gather the definition based on context clues, but there’s a reason I’ve spelled it out.

Right now, we are all living in the midst of uncertainty. We don’t know the when, the how, the why of so many things in life. When will we return to “normal?” How will this crisis impact my employment, my family? How can I best lead my team in these times?

We’re living in tough times. It seems like now more than ever it is difficult to eat healthily and get the nutrition our bodies need. Not only do many of us have to contend with under-stocked grocery stores, but social distancing guidelines dictate that we limit our trips to the store as much as possible. We’ve been encouraged to buy enough for at least two weeks worth of food.

A cluttered office space can lead to a cluttered, frazzled mindset. That nagging pile of laundry that hasn’t been folded or put up creates anxiety. A dim, dreary workspace can make you feel lethargic and depressed.

Even if you have never had to work remotely before, we’re all becoming well-acquainted with the experience (if we’re fortunate enough to have a profession that can accommodate it). While many of us likely looked at working from home as “easy,” before now, I’m sure we’re more than acquainted with its struggles and frustrations at this point.

We’re all strained in one way or another lately, it seems. I know I keep writing about it, but the COVID-19 pandemic is just something we cannot ignore. I’m affected, you’re affected. Our friends, our neighbors, our families and communities each have been impacted.

If we’re to believe the experts, it is difficult to stay productive and on-task at home. There is an inherent level of group accountability in most offices, even if it is only a subconscious pressure not to be caught slacking off. When we’re alone and in our homes, however, that accountability disappears. Distractions are easier to fall into and the road to disengagement is shorter.

During these strange times, I’ve become increasingly aware of the convenience and blessing in our technology-driven society. To think that just a few decades ago, our connectedness during a global pandemic would truly diminish — relegated to phone calls or snail mail. At one time, it would have been difficult to even get news, let alone communicate with others.

We’ve all heard of imposter syndrome, but what is it, exactly? In simple terms, it is a condition in which a successful person feels inadequate, unqualified, or otherwise like a fraud in their given profession. When we hear about this syndrome, we’re often drawn to its negative repercussions.

If you’re like much of the United States during the COVID-19 outbreak, you’ve likely been handed down a stay-at-home order or have been strongly advised to self-quarantine. Non-essential businesses are closed, and that likely includes the local gym.

Entrepreneurs are well-acquainted with the skill of adaptability. We have to move quick on our feet, rising up to meet last-minute opportunities, unexpected complications, and eleventh-hour course changes. As a skill, adaptability has been highlighted as a necessity as we move through unprecedented times, working out how to work effectively in challenging and ever-changing circumstances.

While the workforce has grown more mobile than ever in the last decade or so, we’re currently dealing with an unprecedented number of people, for reasons beyond their control, have to work from home for the time being. Now, working from home initially seems like a pretty good deal. Who doesn’t want to skip their commute and work in their pajamas?

As many of us approach the end of our second week in self-imposed quarantine to “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a longer period of quarantine and social distancing to follow, we’re all growing a little stir-crazy. Not only are many of us are finding ourselves distanced from normal social interaction with friends and coworkers, but the stresses of home life, difficulty obtaining supplies, and fear of the pandemic itself takes its toll on our mental and physical well-being.

For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has created some unique challenges. For those of us in leadership positions, we’re finding ourselves doing a lot of video conferencing in order to get our work done. After all, there is a limit to what email and Slack can accomplish. Video conferencing is becoming a critical part of social distancing during this time of pandemic. However, it can be more complicated than we’d think to effectively host meetings over video chat.

We seem to be living in an age of panic. That’s not just about the COVID-19 crisis, though we’re certainly seeing a level of mass panic that we haven’t seen in a long time. As leaders, it’s crucial that we keep a level head in a crisis. It doesn’t just go for pandemic-level fears — it goes for the small, everyday anxieties that can plague your team and your productivity.

I’m a bit of a health nut. Most of you who know me know by now that, beyond my career, I’m passionate about health and wellness — be it exercise, nutrition, or mental health. As our nation (and the world) confronts the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been exposed to the concept of “social distancing” and encouraged to limit how many people we come in contact with.

There are some admirable things about the American work ethic. We see innovations on every front and a spirit that is always striving for new progress. The “American Dream” is still deeply imprinted on our collective psyche. We want to succeed, to forge our own paths and find wealth by our own terms.

I’ve seen a few disturbing posts recently, mostly on social media, but a few on BiggerPockets as well, where the posters are reacting almost with glee that we may finally be heading toward a dip in real estate so they can cash in on good deals.

Few things kill our motivation like failure. None of us like to fail. In fact, there’s a lot of psychology behind failure. It is demoralizing. It makes us feel as if our goals are unattainable, leads us to the self-sabotaging fear of failure, and skews our perception of our own abilities — among other things.