I don’t know about you, but I’m finding that time has a very different quality during this period of isolation. It’s more than not remembering the date or the day of the week. There seems to be a palpable difference in how time feels as it’s passing.
The virus is busy, which keeps the media machine churning. Every few minutes there are updates to major news stories. This means that each day is packed with so many external happenings that it feels like six months worth of events have happened in a week.
And yet, while the virus is working hard, we are being asked to lessen our activities and confine ourselves mostly to our homes. Stripped of regular routines and distractions, time takes on a different quality.
Two weeks ago, when the kids were supposed to go back to school and things started closing down, the days felt ridiculously long, but yet not long enough to fit in everything I needed to do. If you have children and/or you are also looking after ageing parents, you may be able to relate to this. I feel into bed each night exhausted, feeling like I’d run a marathon.
But last week something shifted. Time began to feel more like a cat yawning and stretching in the sun. I felt an invitation to glide with the flow of time again, the way we likely all did as children. I found time to nap. I found more time to read. I found time to stroll.
Yes, it’s true that the shock is fading now and we are all settling into this “new normal,” so it makes sense that things feel a bit easier. But for me, one of the biggest differences in the last two weeks has been an internal shift.
I’ve gone from fighting what is happening to consciously trying to accept and trust it.
It’s hard not to see this as a great reset for humanity. It’s hard not to see this as the Earth saying “enough is enough.” And when I remember to feel this bigger picture in my heart, rather than getting bogged down in temporary feelings of claustrophobia or restlessness or fear, it really helps.
The other thing that helps is when I hear other people’s stories. The commonalities make me feel not as alone. So, for you who is reading here, I want to say this:
Whatever you’re feeling is okay. Life as you knew it has ground to a halt, and with it, your plans and dreams for the next few months. Everything is up in the air and there is no certainty. You might be having trouble sleeping. You might be having strange dreams. You might be doing a life review and questioning the decisions you made at certain crossroads.
You’re doing the best you can in very challenging circumstances; we’re in a situation that none of us have ever experienced or could ever have prepared for.
I want to remind you to be as gentle and kind with yourself as you are with the people you are supporting.
Music is one way that I show myself kindness and comfort. I’ve been compiling songs in a bit of a “pandemic playlist” for the last few days and would love to share it with you. It’s personal, of course, as all playlists are, but every single song on that list reminds me to stay in the heart place of trusting what is happening. Every song reminds me to choose love over fear.
Hope you enjoy it!