One thing is for sure, and that is that we will all need to emerge from the pandemic at our own pace and in our own way. I’ve been working with many people from all walks of life throughout the pandemic and it’s particularly obvious to me just how differently people are feeling at the moment.
Some, having just returned to work after being furloughed, are bursting with energy, are glad to have something to direct their focus to, glad to re-connect with work colleagues and want to go full steam ahead. Others, particularly those that have worked with almost insurmountable work loads in challenging conditions throughout the pandemic (juggling home-schooling being one of those) are energetically hanging on by the skin of their teeth.
I’ve spoken to many people that feel like they have totally lost the plot and are questioning their sanity. If you don’t know what day of the week it is, feel like you are having an outer-body experience, don’t know whether you want to eat, sleep, laugh, rant, or cry (if only you had the energy) then you are not alone.
Whilst much has been said about ‘sailing the same sea but we are all in different boats,’ it’s easy to nod and have waves of empathetic resonance with such truth, but in truth, in day-to-day reality….we will need to navigate that reality, both personally and collectively. People will all have different energetic capacities and capabilities from one day to the next. Understanding, non-judgement, flexible and creative thinking and solutions will all be essential tools.
From Charlie Mackesy’s brilliant book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse
Much of the work I do is about helping people to develop the self-awareness to better manage their internal world – how they feel, what to do about it, and how to better look after themselves. When I step back and view this work from a broader, detached perspective, it is apparent to me that much of it is about self-sufficiency. That isn’t to say that I don’t advocate supporting each other, on the contrary, I am a firm believer of ‘all for one, and one for all’ but I also believe in self-empowerment, self-ownership, and of the inner wisdom that is accessible to us all. As we all make our way in the coming months and years, we will need to be able to recognise and manage our own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual state of being. If we are feeling low energy, we need to honour and address that. In the past, wellbeing and self-care has often been looked upon (by ourselves, if not by others) as a self-indulgent luxury that we only get to when we have time. It is far from that. It is possibly the most essential aspect of successfully moving on from the pandemic, and for creating a better life and world for us all. We have to get the balance right of supporting ourselves as much as we support each other. That all starts with self-ownership, self-love and self-care. The internal relationship-with-self pandemic that has been going on for many people for many years needs to end.
The coming years will undoubtedly continue to reveal all that needs revealing, both individually and collectively. When anything is uprooted and revealed it is an opportunity to start again, to update, upgrade, and build something more in alignment with love. Life has a funny way of ‘helping’ with that alignment and if we are present enough in daily life we will notice the subtle, and increasingly not-so-subtle ways that the universe speaks to us. Our own inner wisdom also tries to speak to us, if we take the time to listen.
As we all begin to emerge from the pandemic, we will need to be patient and understanding with each other. It won’t serve us to compare how we feel with how anyone else feels. The way through will be for us all to pace ourselves at an appropriate pace that respects the energy levels we have, and to somehow work together as best we can from our many different physical, mental, emotional and spiritual stand points. We will learn much in the process and we can smooth out the road ahead if we navigate it with a healthy balance of patience, kindness, non-judgement and a solid determination to build a better new way, for one and for all.
Tips to lovingly and determinedly pace yourself….
🌟 Tune in to your physical, emotional, mental energy. How do you feel? What do you need right now?
🌟 What is the biggest drain on your energy right now? What might that be telling you? What might you be ignoring? Is there anything you can do about that?
🌟 What choices are you making that supports your energy levels?
🌟 What choices are you making that drain your energy levels?
🌟 When you feel tired, ask yourself “do I need to rest or physically move right now?”
🌟 When you find your patience with others is diminishing, recognise that is a sign you are running low on energy and ignoring your own needs. What can you do about that?
🌟 If you find yourself hurrying, pushing, and racing through each day, week, month, year…ask yourself where you are rushing to? When will you get there? Is there a better way?
There are times in life when things are a struggle, the problem arises when we make that struggle our own habit. Love and kindness break that habit.
Look after yourself, lovingly.
P.S…What better image to go with this blog than with the beautiful page from Charlie Mackesy’s brilliant book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. The universe most definitely speaks its great wisdom through this talented man and his encouraging book. If you haven’t already got a copy then I highly recommend having one.
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