Time has become a bit of an elusive concept lately. My days are all running together and like most other people, things are up in the air without due dates or boundaries or...answers.
None of us have been here before so there's no experience we can use to guide our decision making. It's all new right now. I'm not saying that it's bad or good, rather it's different. I am working daily to find the positives, challenging myself to ground, balance and come into alignment with clarity, wisdom, grace and some humor. Pake and I learned long ago that humor is one of the keys to coming through less than wonderful situations. When nothing is certain and everything is up in the air, the one thing we can have is a sense of humor, appreciation/gratitude and observation. Sometimes we aren't being asked to do anything, rather the calling may be to hold space, since we aren't supposed to hold hands, to help, even if that is a virtual hug or check in or to use this as an opportunity for healing, self-discovery, or habit change. It's different for everyone and how we live our day-to-day says a great deal about how we will handle future challenges.
There is an array of online classes, resources and ideas to help stay safe and mentally sound. I'm no expert, so I really think surviving this pandemic has a lot to do with our individual personalities and how each of us is wired. One of the aspects that I have found to be greatly therapeutic is having a journaling practice. This may not be appealing to everyone, but for those who find their minds won't shut off, especially from the constraint of being in the same environment day in and day out---writing in a journal could help. All that is needed is a pen and paper. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. I know there are some very dedicated journalers out there who may possibly have a set time to journal. Some people probably do have a routine.....I am not one of them. I strive to journal but I allow myself to write whenever the desire to do so arises. There are no limits to what I write about, how long I write, where it happens or how it looks! It's pretty random and free flowing. There are parts of my life that do adhere to a schedule, journaling is not one of those aspects. Journaling may be just the ticket for a brain dump (free flow writing without need for punctuation, kind of like spilling your brain on paper and the paper doesn't talk back!) or a way to chronicle this time period, experiences, ideas and emotions.
I realize that writing isn't going to solve everyone's challenges. I understand that it may be a real struggle for some people to stay home and stay in. My husband I are really missing the ability to travel. Experiencing favorite places and exploring new locations is something we really enjoy. We look forward to being able to do that again soon.
That said, I do enjoy being at home. I don't have the need to be around a lot of people or to participate in events. I suppose I could call myself an introvert but I've never really followed labels. I am taking a long look at my living space, my habits/patterns, routines and the many aspects in our environment that need to be cleaned up, organized, given away or move out. Spring cleaning has taken on a much greater relevance than in previous years.
For me, there's plenty to do to keep my mind is stimulated.{We have yet to sit down and watch the Tiger King, but it may soon compete with Wicked Tuna, which become our nightly family, ritual thanks to Pryce!} I am still using a planner. I've stuck with a system for nearly two years. The format changes from time to time but it's greatly helped my productivity. I moved to a personal sized ring planner in January. It was necessary for my brain: I needed to compartmentalize daily task lists, weekly and monthly schedules. I love using the B6 size, I just found that I needed separate sections. I am now using the B6 for a daily review, life journal and record keeper. March was a pretty stellar month in terms of recording memories!
Color is and has always been, vital to my mood and outlook. As I write this, the weather is damp, cold and dreary. This morning, as I was preparing for the day, I plopped my Macbook on the table and REALLY wished that the roses on the cover were real. What would they smell like? What would they feel like? While I was wishing I could actually touch the colors, I realized that green and pink were also the planner colors I selected this month. Believe it or not, I usually don't have all three of these items together at once (the green one is with me all the time, the pink one is usually in my bag, as a wallet). I have yet to grow roses or any flowering plants of any kind, but I'll take this pop of color as a reminder that spring is somewhere around here, fresh new energies are coming in, even if we aren't experiencing them yet. We may be tasked with looking for virtual bouquets right now, but it is important to recognize what makes us feel happy, inspired, safe and loved. Green and pink feel especially spring-like today.
None of us have been here before so there's no experience we can use to guide our decision making. It's all new right now. I'm not saying that it's bad or good, rather it's different. I am working daily to find the positives, challenging myself to ground, balance and come into alignment with clarity, wisdom, grace and some humor. Pake and I learned long ago that humor is one of the keys to coming through less than wonderful situations. When nothing is certain and everything is up in the air, the one thing we can have is a sense of humor, appreciation/gratitude and observation. Sometimes we aren't being asked to do anything, rather the calling may be to hold space, since we aren't supposed to hold hands, to help, even if that is a virtual hug or check in or to use this as an opportunity for healing, self-discovery, or habit change. It's different for everyone and how we live our day-to-day says a great deal about how we will handle future challenges.
There is an array of online classes, resources and ideas to help stay safe and mentally sound. I'm no expert, so I really think surviving this pandemic has a lot to do with our individual personalities and how each of us is wired. One of the aspects that I have found to be greatly therapeutic is having a journaling practice. This may not be appealing to everyone, but for those who find their minds won't shut off, especially from the constraint of being in the same environment day in and day out---writing in a journal could help. All that is needed is a pen and paper. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. I know there are some very dedicated journalers out there who may possibly have a set time to journal. Some people probably do have a routine.....I am not one of them. I strive to journal but I allow myself to write whenever the desire to do so arises. There are no limits to what I write about, how long I write, where it happens or how it looks! It's pretty random and free flowing. There are parts of my life that do adhere to a schedule, journaling is not one of those aspects. Journaling may be just the ticket for a brain dump (free flow writing without need for punctuation, kind of like spilling your brain on paper and the paper doesn't talk back!) or a way to chronicle this time period, experiences, ideas and emotions.
I realize that writing isn't going to solve everyone's challenges. I understand that it may be a real struggle for some people to stay home and stay in. My husband I are really missing the ability to travel. Experiencing favorite places and exploring new locations is something we really enjoy. We look forward to being able to do that again soon.
That said, I do enjoy being at home. I don't have the need to be around a lot of people or to participate in events. I suppose I could call myself an introvert but I've never really followed labels. I am taking a long look at my living space, my habits/patterns, routines and the many aspects in our environment that need to be cleaned up, organized, given away or move out. Spring cleaning has taken on a much greater relevance than in previous years.
For me, there's plenty to do to keep my mind is stimulated.{We have yet to sit down and watch the Tiger King, but it may soon compete with Wicked Tuna, which become our nightly family, ritual thanks to Pryce!} I am still using a planner. I've stuck with a system for nearly two years. The format changes from time to time but it's greatly helped my productivity. I moved to a personal sized ring planner in January. It was necessary for my brain: I needed to compartmentalize daily task lists, weekly and monthly schedules. I love using the B6 size, I just found that I needed separate sections. I am now using the B6 for a daily review, life journal and record keeper. March was a pretty stellar month in terms of recording memories!
Color is and has always been, vital to my mood and outlook. As I write this, the weather is damp, cold and dreary. This morning, as I was preparing for the day, I plopped my Macbook on the table and REALLY wished that the roses on the cover were real. What would they smell like? What would they feel like? While I was wishing I could actually touch the colors, I realized that green and pink were also the planner colors I selected this month. Believe it or not, I usually don't have all three of these items together at once (the green one is with me all the time, the pink one is usually in my bag, as a wallet). I have yet to grow roses or any flowering plants of any kind, but I'll take this pop of color as a reminder that spring is somewhere around here, fresh new energies are coming in, even if we aren't experiencing them yet. We may be tasked with looking for virtual bouquets right now, but it is important to recognize what makes us feel happy, inspired, safe and loved. Green and pink feel especially spring-like today.
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