Be Kind to Self.
Six months into the tidal wave of the coronavirus; we are weary.
A worldwide pandemic swept insidiously into every country, every city, into our homes and wreaked havoc daily on the very fabric of our lives. It carelessly, relentlessly toppled our foundational structures, eroded away our ways of being and stripped away any sense of normalcy. It painfully, minute by minute, inched us down into our stripped, raw, vulnerable selves. COVID 19 left us barely breathing and scrambling for even a small sense of well-being and for a reason to hope.
For a while many of us were able to rally in agreeable, accepting ways: enjoying the solitude, ramping up our culinary skills, reading that dusty pile of books, binging on Netflix without the guilt, and industriously decluttering our cupboards. We reached out to family, friends, got proficient in Zoom, homeschooled our kids and waved to our grandparents from the sidewalk. We made room in our homes, hunkered down and drew on our inner resources to meet this unexpected storm. Others exploded into unexpected opportunities, ramping up their workdays and running themselves ragged, desperately trying to balance effort and despair. We mustered our inner resources, determined to make the best of the next few months while we rode this inconvenient pandemic out. We didn’t dare look ahead; this was enough; we could weather this temporary storm.
Soon, as deeply social creatures, we began to feel the hidden and unexpected costs and notice the losses. We canceled weddings, flights, and dinner parties. We pivoted between personal survival, buying toilet paper and groceries for weeks at a time, and then watching the news and the deaths with horror and fear. Many of us unknowingly slipped into a state of mourning. Our souls began to silently leak out of our hearts and our strength and will faltered. We tried desperately to focus, count our blessings, and carry on gallantly without lowering our expectations of ourselves. We marshaled the energy for another grand effort, we worked it, and then fell down again. Weariness set in.
Addressing all of this and more, the following article helped me find compassion for myself. As a wretchedly high achieving, driven single mom (who has not yet learned how to slow down), I am wired to cowgirl up and just get'er done. This article allowed me to be a little kinder to myself and to soften my expectations. It helped me ease up on my goals, and fall into my humanness just a little bit. It allowed me to stumble and still be positive. I am currently on a journey to learn how to nurture myself. I could relate to this article because it had just the right balance of science and wisdom to convince me to take time and be kinder to myself.
My wish is that it can give you a new perspective too.
We are living through a pandemic. It is unprecedented. It is unchartered. The next time you are being hard on yourself, step back, remember the unpredictable time you are living in, and have compassion for yourself. Reach out, share these concepts with others and remember that although we may feel isolated or lonely, we are going through this together. Despite social distancing, the importance of community and communication are the building blocks of how we adapt and overcome.