So, this week has seen additional changes to our every day lives again. To make matters more confusing the changes are different depending on where you live and to be quite honest with you, I’m struggling to keep up with who needs to do what where and when?
The one thing that we do know is that we are still in the middle of a global pandemic. People are still dying. Not up for dispute.
Now whether you agree with the actions of individual governments or local councils , well, that’s a very personal opinion which I suspect is governed by your own experiences related to Covid, but these varying opinions seem to be causing both anger and anxiety for a large number of people and that’s never good to live with.
Due to both my work and also the fact that many of my friends and family are scattered across the globe, I have had several interesting and sometimes heated discussions with people recently about what is going on and not surprisingly, there are huge differences in opinion as to how people should/will conduct themselves in response to the restrictions.
I’m not here to debate that.
My husband and I have had an honest conversation about it all this weekend and have decided that for us, the only action to take that serves us well is acceptance rather than anger.
He works within the sports world so is wrapped up in a tight bubble of rules and regulations which although is suffocating at times and certainly making the job less enjoyable, he is HUGELY grateful to a) have a job and b) that the organisation he works for have put so much effort into keeping them all safe as am I!
I too can continue to work, ok so I don’t get to see my clients face to face (sit in the same room) but I do still see them and in fact for them, coaching via zoom makes life considerably easier as we can fit it into their day without having to factor in travel time etc. I have work, work which I love and can work from the safety of my own home.
So how do we get through the next 6 months (I’m not looking further than that) missing some of the “normal” things we would usually do? What can we do to feel less angry, less constrained?
For me and I suspect many others, it’s about making choices rather than feeling I’m governed by government.
So, I choose the following;
- I choose to enjoy my home, create a sanctuary, a safe haven and appreciate that that is a lot more than a lot of others have. I’m going to stock up on candles, buy a new snuggly blanket for cold rainy days. I’m going to make sure that my home feels somewhere that I can come back to and forget about everything even just for a short while.
- I’m going to lessen the amount of time I watch the news, I choose to catch up once a day for the important bits but that is it.
- I will continue to use social media less – I don’t need to read negative or inflammatory posts. I want to surround myself with positivity where I can and social media doesn’t provide me with much of that!
- I’m going to plan warm and nourishing meals, things that will increase my immunity and certainly make me feel healthier.
- I’m going to buy a couple of really nice jumpers/sweatshirts – I might be working from home but I’m still worth making the effort for and I always find that when I have made the effort, I feel better in myself.
- I might string up fairy lights far earlier this year – they don’t have to be Christmas ones but we could all do with some sparkle!
- I’m going to get outside as often as I can – if it’s raining I’ll stomp in the rain, if it’s cold I’ll wrap up and enjoy the change in season. I will breathe in great lungfuls of fresh air when I can.
- I’m going to keep in contact with friends via cards/postcards/calls but NOT put huge pressure on myself if I haven’t managed it – there will be days none of us can manage it.
That’s just for starters………
One day, one week, one month at a time. I will keep my own counsel and look after those I love to the best of my ability. I cannot save the world but I can make a difference to it by changing my outlook and not fighting with it all.
As for Christmas…….who knows where we’ll be then? I’m not giving that any headspace currently because it’s an unknown right now. What I can do is think about who I wish to buy for, who I might make things for, what things are easy to send in the post? Maybe it’s a chance to do Christmas differently this year? We’ll see.
For now, I choose acceptance over anger, I choose to go with the gentle flow and manage what I can and let go of what I can’t.
Wishing you a peaceful and safe week ahead.
