How are we all holding up? I know this time can be quite challenging for some. For others they are thriving with this respite from interacting with others and minimising who they are having contact with. For some expectations have diminished and feelings of responsibility have fallen from shoulders. It’s been a few weeks since life has changed incrementally for us.
The message that I seem to be sharing over the recent weeks with people is that managing the current pandemic and our attitudes to this is about perception. I speak of perception in sessions often. We don’t always like the life picture we are looking at but the lens with which we look at the situation can always change. Often, I compare it to facets of a diamond, depending on the light or view you have of the diamond is what you will see.
I am an optimist, more often than not a glass half full person, I don’t apologise for that, I do disclose this always with clients as I know not everyone is on the same page at how they approach life. So again, full disclosure, what you will continue to read comes from a place of always seeking the gold in how we mine through life’s experiences. Here is your opportunity to tap out from this piece if you don’t want to view life from this lens.
Speaking of Opportunity, that is what I’m inviting you to understand in this post.
We can only control what we can control and right about now I know that many are feeling out of control. Let that go. This is a theme that is driving home hard during this current pandemic. Letting go of control does not mean to become complacent, nor be a walk over. It means to be passionate and intentional with the aspects that you can control either with your behaviour or your speech. You can still be impactful with communicating what you agree or disagree with without rolling over and compromising your values. Though its about honestly assessing what can we control – in the case of the Covid-19 virus we can ensure we minimise contagion by complying with physical distancing, adhering to lockdown directives with limited time out of your home, boosting your immune system with healthy food, vitamins and supplements, ensuring healthy mental wellbeing which I discuss regularly in sessions and on socials. You can also control how you continue to go about work, how you spend your down time and looking at ways in which you can live your life intentionally and joyfully.
Joy is a major emotion that many can lose sight of during this time. Given, I understand that it is stressful right now trying to manage the unknown of the Covid-19 virus and also to reimagine how life is to look considering the many known and unknown factors and the evolutionary nature of how we cope with this health crisis – change is the only constant. Though I ask you to seek some form of joy in your daily life. Not only does it feel good, but we do know through Science that emotions can have a positive (or negative) effect on our mind and body. Your joy does not diminish or disregard the pain the whole world is feeling right now but right alongside gratitude it can buoy faith and hope that this pandemic will have an end and these feelings will have us tracking healthier and with a larger capacity to connect with others around us and empathise. This is key when we are all feeling the disconnect of physical distancing right now with limits around work, socialising and connecting to others.
I am discussing with all of the people that I speak with to see these months affected by Covid-19/Coronavirus as an invitation to reflect, to use the space and time as an opportunity.
It could be easy to slip into a defeated and apathetic mindset and feel out of control. But rather than limitation, obstruction or delay of plans, we see the opportunity to really assess our lives and those aspects we feel most impacted by the pandemic. Reflect, review and rest. How many times do you have this space to sit with life and be able to think about what is working and what is not. I’m suggesting to many that this space between is an important phase we can embrace. The world finally stopping and slowing is giving time to really breathe, to be present -to create, dream and achieve.
Let’s align and connect with what is important and how we can go about moving forward and integrating those aspects into our lives post-covid-19 pandemic. It really is deciding how we want to view this experience in our lives.