Staying Positive 2020 + Outshining the Confinement of CoronaVirus
A forced pause. A self-isolation, even from our loved ones. The world is moving, evolving right before our very eyes. The pace of life just a month ago, unsustainable has all but slowed. Many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are confined at home for an indefinite amount of time. Uncertainty is in the air, no one really knows what comes next. We are all living moment to moment with what is. Many who have graced this earth for several decades may recognise a slow shift back to former ways of being. Gone is the perpetual distraction that scatters our attention. Now is the time for each and every one of us to press the “reset button” inside, to re-boot. Now is a time to return to the roots of humanity. Now is the time to pause and reflect.
Here are my personal musings thus far:
Pollution has dropped significantly here in Paris!
We can hear birds. The morning hustle and bustle has subsided. Things are QUIET. What a special treat to experience Paris just like THIS! Only once in a lifetime one might find this type of quiet in a beautiful, populous city.
I realise we are all confined, and luckily Mother Nature is not cancelled! When you do go outdoors (alone, within your 1-2 KM radius or on your balcony) be sure to enjoy the quiet. If you go outside your house in France do not forget your ID and “permission” slip and stay close to home. Experience this feeling of quiet daily, while the peace lasts - things will seem loud and polluted the moment life starts moving again.
Do not go outdoors at all if your immune system is compromised - ask other people to help you with groceries, etc.
Also do not judge others for heading outdoors for a few minutes to get needed vitamin D for survival (judging others only causes stress for yourself, these people have zero interest in getting close to you too).
We are getting enough sleep. Gone is the urgency (for many) to be anywhere fast. As confinées we are at liberty to wake and rise as we please. If you are lucky to be able to work from home, you are probably free to do your work at the hours that most suit you (other than scheduled online meetings). You can take naps. Use your time wisely to catch up on sleep and to build your immune system.
Please note that I am not in the medical profession (and I realise these selfless individuals may actually be taxed and exhausted.) If you are feeling rested, perhaps offer to help those in the medical profession in ways that you can (respecting social distancing). Enjoy the fact that you are getting a needed break. Pause and rest!
We’re learning how to be bored again. Perhaps you are someone who is “always on the go”, out of the house early, back late at night, traveling on the weekends or busy with family and pets. It may now feel as if you have lost all momentum. You may feel “stir-crazy” in your own home. Perhaps you have spent so much time on your mobile phone and all of a sudden realise how many hours you have wasted. You put it away and then have zero idea what to do with yourself. Once you’ve sifted through your emails, put your house in order to the point of having “Kon-Marie'd the entire place, exercised and fed your pet, put your kid down for a nap and numbed out for hours on NetFlix - then what?
Take a deep breath and let that boredom blossom into creativity!
It is time to become reacquainted with lost creativity. What did you enjoy doing as a child? What do you love to do “just because”. Try pulling out your guitar or art supplies. I currently face a garden courtyard, and lately have been hearing the sounds of people singing, playing the piano, and have seen others sitting at their windows writing, journaling. There is something almost archaic about people returning to lost hobbies, it is as if the digital world has slowly encompassed us. In some ways, we are “finding ourselves” again. Like to cook? The grocery stores are open, so perhaps you want to dive back into making delicious meals for your family and remind yourself how much healthier eating at home actually is.
Not only will tapping into your creativity feel good, it will also help mitigate those anxious feelings that we all have from time to time. We are living in uncertain times; taking time to reconnect with your creativity will get you into your “flow state”, where time stands still and you just “are” in a state of “being”.
Personally, I have been practicing a ton of yoga, and (finally) making actual yoga course and essential oil videos to upload and share with the world on my Vimeo channel - new instructional videos coming soon! I have also been riding my bicycle (solo, within a reasonable distance as exercising IS permitted) breathing the healing fresh air and absorbing vitamin D. I have been working on strengthening my immune system (blog on this subject to follow this weekend), and (best of all), giving extra love and attention to my precious GoldenDoodle who is now 10+ years old.
Getting started on your creative projects has never been easier; there is definitely no reason for FOMO (fear of missing out). The only thing holding you back is YOURSELF! Even if you feel anxious, worried, stressed - fill in the blank. Start by taking a deep breath and playing that first chord on your piano or guitar, paint that first brush stroke...and let me know how it goes for YOU!
It is time to finish pending tasks. If you are American, now is the time to get your taxes done! Need to update your website? Catch up with old clients? Are you launching a new venture? How about writing that business plan? Or maybe “Feng Shui” your finances? Perhaps a good, thorough Spring Cleaning + Purge is in store for you. When you feel “bored” take some time to write a list of simple tasks you want to complete. The act of putting pen to paper and stating what you intend to do will actually miraculously propel you to complete it, I promise!
Reconnect with Friends and Family. As a single gal here in Paris (dating a ton and loving the men), this whole Quarantine Thing has got me thinking - I want to be with a partner with whom I do not mind being confined! I can imagine these times as trying on relationships (there will possibly be divorces and babies born just because of #covid19)!
Until this moment I’d never thought of considering how a romantic partner would be in an “end of the world” situation. However I will now be asking the question “if the world were ending today, would THIS be the man with whom I would like to be?”. If the answer is not a complete HELL YES then it is a NO (thank you Patricia Russo). In matters of love, CoronaVirus sure helps the screening process!
All joking aside, take a moment to add WhatsApp or Viber (or fill in the blank app) to your phone and reach out to your friends, relatives and other loved ones! They will appreciate the check-in. I strongly believe this time is also happening so we can reconnect. So much has been lost in the digital world, especially in the last 10 years. Let us learn how to talk to our neighbours again. Today I even received a FLOWER DELIVERY from a Parisienne friend. I also heard from one of my best pals from High School currently confined in Idaho, from my coworker in California who called this epidemic a “global reset” where people are taking time to connect with each other and remember what really matters. These friends (along with my mom reaching out to me) made my day; I am now virtually passing those High Vibrations to YOU! So, go through your address book. Check in, see if your loved ones are all right. Reply to those messages sitting in your social media and dating app accounts (if you’re single). Connect and reconnect. If you’re one of the “lucky” ones to have this time, use it wisely. I promise to do the same.
Journal. We are currently witnessing history and a global shift in power. The world is changing rapidly. Let us all keep an account of our own experiences. We are not necessarily writing for others to read, instead these are our personal notes, our own private accounts of this time. Julia Cameron calls her version “morning pages” in “The Artist’s Way”, where the first moments of the days are spent “free-writing” 3 pages, whatever comes to mind. This has to do with having your own private notebook in which you can record your train of thoughts, whatever they may be. You can do this when you wake up, during a walk sitting on a bench or just before going to bed at night. Get used to dumping your thoughts on paper, without judgement, write whatever comes to your mind. Try this for even just the time we are confined and see if it helps you find a bit of clarity and emotional freedom.
Take time for self-care. I mentioned sleep and good meals above, but what about the other actions you can take to pamper yourself as you’re stuck at home? Since life accelerated with the advent of technology and smartphones, it has been therapeutic to take time for self pampering at home. I’m not saying this is something I never do, but with life’s pace things can get overlooked. Last night I took a relaxing epsom salt bath and applied a mud-mask. Tonight before sleeping I’m going to experience a foot moisturiser treatment. Organise your wardrobe and closet and keep only what makes you feel great. Treat yourself with extra love during your down-time. Take care of your body, exercise, meditate, condition your hair, buff your nails. Bottom line - make yourself FEEL GOOD and remember YOU are worth it!
Practice Deep Gratitude and Manifest an amazing future! The friend from whom I received a surprise bouquet of flowers today reminded me on the card, that despite this situation, I was still living my HELL YES LIFE here in France. And with her I agree 100%. I would not change anything about the decisions I have made. I love my life here.
Every day I count my blessings - even when things seem out of control or I feel lonely and far away from friends and family. I choose my thoughts; there are always GOOD THINGS to remember. I encourage all of us to take this time to practice extra gratitude for what has been gifted to us in this life. We are here for a very short time together. Let us stay connected and remember how blessed we truly are. Right here. Right now. Namaste.