COVID 19: Make the Most of this Time
Updated: Sep 26, 2020
When will our lives get back to "normal?" When will we return to the way things were before the shut-down, before this pandemic?
Are you feeling a bit restless or perhaps a sense of urgency to make this time count somehow? If so, you are not alone. I believe we are experiencing a consciousness shift that is more than just trying to figure out how to bide our time while we are stuck at home.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
I have been hearing from so many of my counseling clients, family members and friends talk about the emotional impact the Coronavirus is having on them. Naturally, there is a lot of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and more. Many people feel trapped, stuck, frightened, alone. Some feel numb and are having a hard time imagining how they will get through the day. Others are settling into their new routines but feeling a sense of restlessness.
One consistent theme that I have been witnessing is that most people want to make this time while we are quarantined matter. They are reaching for more. They want to feel a sense of meaning. They want this time to mean something and to feel productive in whatever ways they can. They want to look back on this time and feel as though they made the most of it.
This time is an opportunity to explore what really matters to us on a deep, soul level.
The world has slowed down for many. Many people are working from home. Kids are home from school. No more sports, no more after school commitments, no more obligations to attend events or family gatherings. Some young adults are forced to return home from college or to live with parents due to losing their jobs. Some people are still working hard to keep our economy afloat and save lives, too. We are all changing the way we function daily, the way we connect with others and the way view our world. Collectively, everything has changed.
In time, when we do go back to whatever our new normal will be, things will have changed whether we want to admit it now or not. We will never be the same. This time, though it feels long and arduous right now, will pass. This quarantine will end. While we are still in it there is an opportunity to do more than find ways to distract ourselves. We have an opportunity to look within and ask some very important questions.
“In a rush to return to normal use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.” - David Hollis
One question I’m hearing a lot right now is, “How can I make the most of this time?” If you have also asked yourself this, then I would love to give you some writing prompts to help you on this journey. We can start by addressing our Core Values, Beliefs, and Desires. Take your time reading through this and bring these questions into your journaling practice for a deeper experience.
VALUES
Our values speak to the most basic things that matter most to us. Stripped of them, we would feel empty. Some of these values might include God, spirituality, family, human connection, charity, following the rules, helping others, doing good work, being a loving parent, etc.
What are your core values? What is most important to you?
How are your core values being expressed right now?
If you could boil down all of your values to ONE or TWO key-values, what would they be?
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BELIEFS
Beliefs are a bit trickier. Beliefs stem from a lifetime of thinking the same thoughts until they become baked-in and we even could swear that they are truths. But the truth is that we can change our beliefs about things simply by gaining new information, either through learning from others or our own experiences.
What beliefs do you hold to be true?
What beliefs about the world or about others are being challenged at this time?
What would you like to believe but find yourself having a hard time doing so right now?
DESIRES
Finally, our desires speak to how we want to grow next. Out of every experience spawns a new desire. If we are stuck inside, we may want to go outside. If we are stripped of our freedom, it is all we long for. If we think of our loved ones and fellow humans who are suffering we may desire to maintain our own health and wellbeing and wish for others to do the same. Or we may feel called to help others in some way. Desires are simply wishes borne out of what we are presently lacking, or out of our wish to increase what we already have that we cherish.
What do you desire that you do not have right now? Why?
What desire do you have that would bring you more of what you already have?
Have there been any changes to the types of things that you desire now vs. before we experienced this time?
Write down at least five desires that you have right now.
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PUTTING IT TOGETHER
The way we build meaning in times like this can start with an in-depth look at our values, beliefs, and desires.
If you were to combine what you have learned about yourself through this brief journey, what do you think you would say about how you are choosing to act, or how you are choosing to spend this time? How can your personal values, beliefs and desires be expressed from right where you are?
When we look back at this time years or decades from now, we will all have our stories to share. What would you like to be able to say about this time and how you spent it?