As I look back over the last couple of weeks of lockdown, I notice such a range of thoughts, feelings and emotions. In some ways that isn’t dissimilar to a usual week.
But something that is present in this that isn’t present in a usual week is the sense of grief and loss. It comes in waves. I drove past my children’s nursery earlier this week and I felt an urge to cry. Why? I don’t fully know but it made me wonder if it was because it signified parts of my life that I’ve lost, a sense of routine that has been taken away, a change to my job, friendships on pause.
Each weekday on Facebook, we’ve been sharing daily gratitude. We’re doing this because consistent daily gratitude is proven to have a positive impact on our wellbeing, increase our optimism and boost our self-esteem. This is all good stuff and something we intend to keep practicing throughout Coronavirus and beyond.
But you can’t escape the fact that this isn’t a season of normality and that does bring anger, frustration, sadness and grief.
In this week’s question we want to encourage you to embrace both sides of this journey. The good and great moments: things like a slower pace of life; having time to cook creatively; quality time with family and friends as we connect in different and new ways. And also the grumpy, heart-breaking moments: exhaustion for those working non-stop to keep us going; the sense of lost freedom; patience wearing thin when you’re inside day in, day out with your children; for some people the death of loved ones.
We believe wellbeing is about caring for ourselves, our soul, in order to thrive. Which is why embracing the great and the grumpy is important. Wellbeing isn’t just about being happy all the time. It’s about understanding how we’re feeling and why, in order to care for ourselves. It we don’t make time to listen to our bodies, our emotions then we don’t help ourselves to thrive.
We chose a picture of a dandelion for this week’s question because it feels appropriate. The dandelion is in seed, it’s effectively died. It is no longer the yellow, thriving flower it once was. It has changed. Yet blow those seeds and it creates beauty. Not only does it create beauty, it spawns new life.
As we embrace the changes, the death and life of this period of time, what can we allow it to teach us? How will it form and change us?
Today, allow yourself to sit in your emotions, your thoughts and feelings. Don’t try to push them away. Don’t feel like you need to make yourself happy. Don’t feel guilty if you’re in the midst of joy.
Just sit.
Humbly listen to yourself.
Look back on this week or this day.
Become aware of your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions.
Perhaps pause as you remember particular moments.
Then take this question and answer it. As you answer it, think about why?
Keep it safe for now. We may come back to it in a few weeks. Perhaps we’ll notice something different, perhaps we won’t. But I’m interested to see what might have changed for me in a little while.