Hindsight is 2020
Something to think about as we approach the one-year mark of COVID-19.
Not that it deserves any fanfare, but we're coming up on the one-year anniversary of COVID-19. Can you believe it?
Remember back in April 2020 when I wrote an article about “life after COVID?” While I still stand by the importance of cultivating awareness and planning ahead for life after COVID, how utterly naive of me to think that it was timely, considering a year later, we’re still here… To say it's been a tough 365 days is an understatement. Our basic needs (toilet paper!?) were threatened. We've had to define – and redefine – a new normal. We had to reevaluate what our routine looked like, and the concept of time as we knew it changed drastically.
Things are slowly beginning to reopen, and vaccines are starting to be distributed. It’s finally starting to look like the beginning of the end of COVID… for real this time. (*knocks on wood*)
After 12 months of impatiently waiting for life to resume to normal, have you thought about what life after COVID, and what that “new normal” will look like for you?
Now is the time to ask yourself:
"What lessons do I want to take with me from this last year?"
"What elements from the past year will benefit me outside of the pandemic?"
“What DO I want my future to look like?”
These are questions I’ve pondered quite a bit over the last few months. Now that the end is in sight, I think these are the insights I’m going to take with me.
There is value in slowing down.
It’s okay to change, even when everything else is changing.
Can you remember the days of early wake-up calls and jam-packed schedules? The days where time flew by because it was spent with dear friends, or jumping from one activity to the next? The days of doing, well, anything outside of the walls of our homes.
Then COVID struck almost seemingly out of nowhere, and we all had to adjust to a forced period of stillness. It was a shock to our collective system and, for many people, an unwelcome one. We had become so accustomed to our routines and society’s definition of “busy,” that we didn’t know what to do with this free time – and it led to a lot of discomfort. We had to sit with ourselves and reevaluate how and where we spend our time.
In talking with my clients and friends, I’ve found many have made the same discovery: There is great value in slowing down.
We’ve had time (more time than ever!) to pause and reflect. It’s in this that we’ve been given the opportunity to sit with difficult emotions, find gratitude, and collectively support one another. Though many of us have mourned the loss of a full calendar, an abundant social life, and loved ones, I am confident that we’ve gained even more.
In slowing down, we’ve gained an appreciation for sipping a morning cup of coffee with nowhere to be. An opportunity to soak up precious moments with our families at home. An ability to return to a hobby we once loved. And maybe even a chance to connect with our inner selves, to become in-tune with exactly what we need in these times of stillness.
When a sense of normalcy resumes and our schedules get “busy” again, think about what you can bring into your daily routine to ground you and help you slow down. It’s in this act of slowing down that opens our eyes to the small moments – and those are often the most meaningful ones.
It's okay to change, even when everything else is changing.
For starters, what didn’t change over the past year? From the POTUS to our work environment, to the way we parented and communicated, few things from life as we knew it remained constant over the past twelve months.
Some of these changes caused heartbreak. We lost loved ones and jobs and stability, either because the pandemic took them from us forcefully or because we realized these things weren’t serving us anymore.
A lot of these changes caused unimaginable stress. Our living situations were turned upside down, the way we worked and parented was drastically disrupted.
But from change, there is growth. There was opportunity for us to stop pretending to be okay when we really weren't. We learned to communicate and sit with difficult emotions. We learned to get comfortable with the discomfort of not being busy. We were afforded the gift of time to explore who we are and what we want. How we responded to the disruption and change of this past year forced us to grow.
And if you are still resisting change, that’s okay. Your resistance is an expression of the grieving process. To fully change, we must first embrace and grieve what we are losing in the process. Only then do we open ourselves up to fully stepping into the life that we want to create, moving forward. So please, take all the time you need to grieve your past life, and what you once knew, for that is the best thing you can do in order to move forward.
“Look deeper into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” - Albert Einstein
Nature is always there.
Einstein said it best: “Look deeper into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Many of you know that I was fortunate enough to escape to Oregon for a few months this past fall. It was there, that I was able to escape into the mountains, clear my head, ground my emotions, make hard decisions, say goodbye to friends who were no longer providing the support I needed, and grieve all that I needed to grieve in order to move forward.
Mother Nature has so much to teach us, so how lucky are we that it has remained the one constant throughout such a tough year?
I like to remind my clients that there is much to be learned about resilience from nature. We see that mountains stand tall when faced with adversity, palm trees bend without breaking, and ocean waves come back no matter how many times the shore pushes them away. I’m not sure that a better metaphor exists for navigating the past twelve months.
Through the entirety of this difficult year, nature has always remained right in front of us. It has welcomed us with open arms when not much else could. It has provided a safe space to clear our heads, to break away from the chaos, and to feel present in the moment. As we move forward into life after COVID, I encourage you to continue to opt outside. Whether it’s meeting a friend for coffee or escaping to the mountains, there is so much healing to be had and so many more powerful lessons to be learned.
The best is yet to come.
Whatever lessons you choose to carry forward into life after COVID, I have no doubt that you will create something spectacular with them. And if you’re still struggling to come up with your own lessons, I leave you with these three questions:
- What can I learn from the past 12 months that will help me, moving forward?
- How did the past 12 months make me stronger?
- What am I inspired to do after living through the pandemic?
And I want to know your answers! Join me on Instagram (@conshycoaching) and let me know what lessons you’ll be carrying into life after COVID.
Of course, if you need additional guidance as you navigate the road ahead, send me an email anytime at jenn@conshycoaching.com. I’m always here to support you!