I don’t think stress has changed but our environment has. In California and other cities and states, we are on lockdown. So, many of us have new stressors that we may not have experienced before. I am a speaker, but since no one is at an actual place, I have been forced to change the way I deliver my messages. Many of us are using Zoom and other virtual classrooms to conduct business.
I recall when I watched the news about needing to stay in my house. My initial response was “Oh no!” then I thought “Oh YEAH!” I quickly set goals for myself about what I wanted to do with all of this time I will now have just sitting in my house. The first day at home I watched “Goop” on Netflix and I had this brilliant idea I was going to take this time to nurture myself and step 1 was a fast. About 8:30AM came and I decided I would just have a protein shake….then 10:30 came and I decided to have a sandwich…then 1:30 came and I needed a snack and I bought some frozen yogurt…oh and I didn’t find time to work out. Maybe you get the point.
We are in a unique situation in that many of us who like consistent schedules are now completely turned upside down. CHANGE is forced upon us. Metaphorically, some of us are kicking and screaming as we are being dragged by our hair across the floor. Some of us are inviting the new digs. Wherever you are, change is afoot. We can use this as an opportunity to try change on to see how we adapt. This ability to flex our change muscle will help us tremendously in the future.
I decided that fasting for a week was not an obtainable goal for me at this point. I would be miserable, and I don’t want that (neither do my kids.) So, I have set goals for myself that are more attainable yet still supporting my long-term goal of health.
I invite you to look at where you are. How do you invite change into your life and if you are supporting your goals for yourself or do they work against you? Every moment we have the choice to reset what’s important to us.
Living alone, my experience is somewhat different than yours Kirsten, as is everyone’s actually; we are all in this together, and alone. My daily routine has not changed very much. Several years ago, I managed to shift my wake/sleep cycle back in line with my circadian rhythm. I write early in the morning, and then, when no more words are coming, I go for a walk. The natural world keeps teaching me things every day. And I give thanks to people like Jane Goodall for making me take the time to notice.
I have self-quarantined before, 40 plus years ago, when choosing to distance myself from drug use. Three months, in the life of winter, in the mountains of NH,…