Dear Potentia readers,
We have all been affected by this Pandemic with reports from
oversees to our own back yard. I have
not done a post for a while, but being in the midst of this chaos, I felt compelled
to express some things that might be of use to my clients and readers.
I was taking things in stride until my hairdresser let me know she was canceling all appointments for the foreseeable future. Naturally, I understand the health concern, but seriously, I went into 5 minutes of panic over my grey roots!! I composed myself quickly and made a MAJOR note to self…. wow… there are so many daily conveniences that I (we all) take for granted in life – getting my hair done in its regularly scheduled time is apparently one of them. Please don’t judge me!
This led me to really consider how we hold so tightly to the constructs in our lives as if everything we have is assumed a given. When in reality, nothing is permanent and when we fool ourselves into believing that what we have can never change, we really suffer when it does. The concept of impermanence is an important one to consider. I believe much of what we are experiencing right now falls into this category. Our lives (individually and as a whole), have been changed dramatically in just a few short weeks.
Anxiety (in so many forms) is often a common thread with the clients I work with. Most of us are aware that anxiety stems from the feeling that something we believe we can control, is out of control. Whether we are aware of it or not, and whether the threat is real or not, control is the name of the game. We set-up many situations in our lives to achieve this goal. This is definitely one of those times when life might feel like it is spiraling out of control. The Coronavirus is a real thing, and what we are all witnessing feels at times, scary. When there are issues with food/dry good supplies, worry about elderly family members, dealing with the loss of income, kids home from school, etc…. it is VERY easy to feel quite unsettled.
As most of us are confined to home at some level, and feel the disruption to our everyday lives, here are some thoughts to consider:
- Being diligent about our safety, as well as the safety of our family, friends, neighbors, and communities is of the utmost importance. Please follow the recommendations and guidelines provided. Look out for neighbors or anyone who might need help. Do not hoard food or supplies so that there will be enough for everyone to get through this time.
- Keep the news to a minimum – stay informed from your trusted source, but do yourself the favor and turn it off for most of the day! This will create more fear!
- Think of ways to use this time productively– Since I am going to be confined to home base more than usual, I have decided to work on some projects that have been put off for a while: online courses, content development, cleaning the basement, (again)! Catch-up on some reading, facetime with friends and relatives. Spend quality time with family members – now that most families are spending more time together.
- Make your physical health a priority – when thoughts of doomsday or being frustrated take center stage, it is so easy to let the care you give yourself, both from a nutritional & exercise standpoint fall away. This is not the time to give up, but to hunker down on your self- care. Eat as well as possible, continue with supplements and MOVE your body! There are many options available on-line for classes, but if that is not accessible, get outside as much as possible. Being outside and taking in your natural environment can do wonders for well-being and mental health, which of course leads me to…
- MEDITATE – So, you had to know this one was coming – perhaps the most important on the list. Use some of the free time from your regular schedule to add or increase your meditation time. I send all my clients to Insight Timer, which can be found on the app store – it is free and has thousands of meditations to get you started. Mindfulness is sometimes described as having present, non-judgemental awareness of events and being aware of the actual lived moments we experience. It helps to understand the transient nature of things what it means to be human.
This current situation will not last forever. We may be changed and new ways of being may arise out of this, but things WILL GET BETTER. I have so much faith in the resilience of our nation and love seeing how people are really banding together for the best possible outcome. Make a personal commitment to come out on the other side of this crisis with some level of growth and understanding about yourself and/or the world you live in. When you look back at this experience, who do you want to see?
Until then, please stay safe, healthy and mindful…
Jean xoxo
P.S. One last thing, if you see a pandemic coming your way again in the future, get your hair done ASAP! 🙂
