As we have all experienced, 2020 has been a hell of a year. It has given us a whirlwind of surprises and has surely left most of us feeling a little on edge. More than most other days to say the least.
In the midst of challenges faced globally, there is one challenge we have all had to experience simultaneously and conjunctively. Lockdown.
For some, lockdown meant loneliness, for others boredom or stress, anxiety, depression, struggling to find routine and many other extraordinary feelings we normally experience on a broader scale. However, having had to deal with these emotions all at once and for so long has certainly left most of us feeling drained, unmotivated and scared. Constantly worrying about what will happen next.
Out of our Control
Unfortunately, the events happening around us are entirely out of our control. Living in a world where control is so easy to obtain, this is a massive set back for those of us who don’t know how to let go of what we can’t control and focus on what we can.
And what might that be? What can we control? What can you start doing today to ease the pressures and stresses that come with such extraordinary times? The answer is quite simple really, you.
The one thing we are all able to take control of and focus on (while a lot of us are left with a lot more free time even after the strictest part of the lockdown) is ourselves. Our body, mind and yes, spirit!
It’s all About Balance
Keeping all three in balance and stable is one of the greatest and if not the greatest solution for combating those feelings of anxiety from one lockdown and who knows, maybe even entering another!
From my own experience, lockdown showed me just how bad my anxiety had become. I thought I had been doing things to combat those feelings but the truth is, it wasn’t enough. Especially when rejoining the land of the living as bars and restaurants began to re-open. I didn’t know how to be me. I didn’t know how to be a person in public. If i was behaving correctly, I had truly forgotten how to socialise correctly as I was just overwhelmed with the human contact i was now in touch with.
So, What can we do?
So what can we do to heal from this experience? To calm our nerves and ease our minds? Personally, I found several resources for exactly this. All within the touch of a screen. Mindfulness meditation apps such as Calm, headspace and Keep Yoga
were some of my favourites. Using mindfulness meditation to understand and quieten my mind from the worries I faced inside and around me. Setting a routine to the best of my ability. Like many others, this year brought many changes to my work schedule. Working some days, being sent home others etc didn’t leave room for much routine.
So I took matters into my own hands. I began to implement structure into my daily routine that would not ever be affected by unstable factors in my life.Therefore, I always had a sense of consistency within my days.
Commitments such as waking up at a specific time daily, going for walks at a specific time, meditating or exercising at a specific time… all helped ease my anxiety and gave my life structure.
Now these aren’t just applicable to post-lockdown circumstances, they are applicable to life. Therefore you will always know, no matter how crazy and distorted our world might become with the challenges it faces, you will always have a form of consistency and pattern in your life that keeps you grounded.
There is a saying when two lovers meet.
“ Lovers are like a kite and a string. Most times one half will bring freedom, spontaneity, a love that is light. While the other is grounding, and stops the other half from flying away. They are a perfect balance for one another, giving each other the freedom, yet security, they both desire and need. “
Learn to become the Kite and the string. Learn to fill your life with your own love and security so nothing else around you can penetrate that safe place you have created for yourself. A place not even a pandemic or apocalypse can shake!
We, as humans, need balance. Especially in such incredible times. We need to surround ourselves with a structure that can never be taken away by anyone, all of which will ease the anxiety that we have been faced with this year.
Like a kite and a string. Learn and discover what makes you feel light, free and gives you joy, while exploring what will also keep you grounded and secure.
Balance ladies, that’s all it is. Prioritise yourself. Love yourself and surround yourself with those who make you feel good about yourself, even if that is only virtually a possibility now!
