Two weeks nearly in to social distancing, isolation and lock down. Question, how is everyone feeling? Bored, annoyed, frustrated, angry? I'm sure all the emotions are high at the moment. Along with those emotions are so many questions. When will this end? Was it really a bat? When will we find a test, an antidote? Emotion after emotion, question after question. It's a highly uncertain, stressful and anxious time for the human race all over the world.
For me stress and anxiety can make me poorly at the best of times so trying not to get stressed when this virus took away my dream job after only 6 months, not how I saw the first year of being a self employed yoga teacher that's for sure. Being alone means I have to stay.....alone with no significant other it's me and my cats in lockdown with no one to share the sofa with. Good or bad the verdict is still out on that one. This virus is a taker that's for certain, the unseen enemy that has turned our world to......Shit!
But to try and keep my head sane i've been trying to keep a positive spin on what is happening before I plummet into depression and anxiety that in the world right now i'd say is on the up turn.
I have been very lonely for a long while now, even when I've been out with others the loneliness has been high. But the gift of this virus is how unlonely I've felt all of a sudden, the whole god dam world is sharing this horrid situation and around me friends and family who I only see once or twice a year i'm connecting with more then ever. I feel closer to my yoga community and fellow teachers, even making new friends. We are virtually evolving our relationships and communication is the key, it's a big lesson for some to learn but one that has been required for a long time.
Families have been forced to spend time together with no distractions or excuses from external day to day life, again spending time to connect to grow together to support one another and even better get to know each other again. Yes the kids are missing out on education and some didn't get to sit exams and have their last day at school with friends but the lessons they are being taught now will aid them more so then any education can. They are part of history instead of just reading about it.
Businesses will fall and fail that's a sad reality that some of the economy won't survive this, to close doors on something you have built and grown must be so painful. But we are a world of consumerism always wanting more and more, why do we need so much choice so many varieties of this and that? The answer is we don't. Supply and demand, we demand more and more so supply goes up but the truth is its all gluttonous.
The materialistic world has lost its value, having the new expensive shirt or pair of trainers, being the first to own the newest gadget means nothing, it didn't before but it's currency in this tweeting, tagging, bragging world has become zero - who cares, the possibility of a deadly virus just topped, trumped that camaraderie. And thank god for that I say.
Yes i've been a tweeter, tagger and bragger I'm sure, I know I've bought the expensive shirt and the newest gadget but I learnt a lesson not so long ago that some are now being faced with for the first time that makes all of that consumerism worthless.
Taking things for granted, once you have taken away from your things that you just expected to always be there,the material side of life looses its appeal. I'm sure and I'll be honest, I hope everyone has a long list now of things they won't take for granted again. Freedom being the top of that list.
Instead of resisting this time we have been given, we should embrace it with both hands. Yes you may not be earning money or seeing your friends and family but everyone has jobs they put to one side that they say they are too busy for. Not just jobs, a book you wanted to read, a skill you wanted to learn, a series you have been dying to watch. Now is your time, the world may never be this quiet again.
As a very emotional and empathetic person I have had to stay away from the news, I don't even have television well Netflix sure but terrestrial tv or sky is something I decided I didn't need a long time ago. But, on a course I went on recently about growing your business (feels ironic now), the words were "We don't look for the news any longer it finds us" Social media ensures this, even if we don't go looking it will be there in front of our faces on whichever device we use. Sure we need to stay informed but too much can be very bad for our mental state. Choose wisely where you source your information from - remember what you fill your life with good or bad can manifest itself within and in this instance it is fear.
Fear creates more fear, its the most destructive element in the human mind. When we become fearful we become desperate, aggressive, protective. We are then driven to do things we wouldn't normally do without thought. We justify the way we treat ourselves and others as a means of defence. It creates selfishness.
What we all need now is to become as selfless as can be, the only way is to get through this together, we are all fearful the unknown does that alone. But that fear needs to be turned in to power and that power now is the power of kindness, understanding, to be strong and more united.
The world will never be the same again, the lessons we learn from this will change our race, our society and for me for the better. Will we rely on technology more or will we decide to put it down once our freedom returns? Will you conduct your day, weeks, months differently? Will you exercise more or less, will your routine change for the better? We are so eager to return to normal life but we really do need to see which parts we want to rush back to and which ones we can push to one side.
Mother Nature will continue this planet without the human race and right now as we stop the world is starting to heal some of the destruction we have created. This virus put the stop button on us but gave the go sign to the planet we call home.
We are all going to experience bad days, our relationships will flourish or fail, friendships will be tested, family members fraught but as our future has become even more unknown it's time to live in the moment of each present day. We can't plan further then our front doors at the moment so live for your now!
Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save lives!
Kate xx