Greetings!
As I virtually hugged my client good-bye a few weeks ago, knowing we would next meet via a digital platform for the foreseeable future, we shared a laugh about post-lockdown clients needing to readjust to freedom following what we now call “social-distancing”. Back then, (when was that anyway?), it didn’t yet have a name, a description, any standardized rules, or any prediction of what was about to happen. I did expect that after even a week of chosen or government regulated social isolation, people were going to be challenged with re-entering their world. And “back then”, I didn’t even know grocery shopping would be the job of the family “hunter and gatherer”, restaurants would be closed except for carryout, movie theaters would temporarily be a fond memory, and dinner parties and cocktails with friends would happen over Zoom. Since then, I have spent considerable time preparing to help my clients manage their stress and resume their lives.
Because, here we are a few weeks later. Friends need to think about what day it is. No one seems to know how long this has gone on or when exactly it began. There is some panic about haircuts, hair color, and manicures. Everyone I have talked with has toilet paper, but is running low on scarce paper towels.
And I continue to ask, “What are we going to learn from this?”. My friends and colleagues are a creative and amusing collection of people. The first suggested lesson was that we all need Bidets to eradicate or reduce the toilet paper panic. We have all noticed the pollution reduction; I had to move my car today and it hadn’t been started in 5 weeks!. We are connecting with others intentionally through phone calls and digital media. We have redefined safety. Our new sign-off greeting is, “Be safe”, and that doesn’t mean drive safely, or be careful on the ice. Thriving and surviving include acquiring and using masks and gloves, and knowing how to manage bringing groceries and packages into the house. Celebrations are all new. I am reminded of the Carousel of Progress at the New York World’s Fair and then at Disney parks as we watched families celebrate birthdays remotely through television screens. They were on different planets, but the concept is the same. Now we wave through windows, sing Happy Birthday through telephones, (AND sing Happy Birthday as we wash our hands!).
In our family, we are eagerly anticipating new babies. Even as we wonder about gender, we wonder who will be permitted in the delivery room with Mom, and when Dad will meet his newborn.
We are indeed in the midst of a stress pandemic. And nowhere in this blog have I even addressed the elephant in the room, Covid 19, the illness, the loss of loved ones, the recovery, the future. How are we going to manage the stress of reentry?
I have committed to positive personal empowerment. Internally, I am maintaining a positive attitude, choosing to seek things that bring joy and avoiding pain. Externally, I am projecting my smile, my positive attitude, my enjoyment of this “Staycation”, and working to make the most of it. We are exercising daily, cooking very healthy meals, hugging the family furry kids ALOT, enjoying friends and family via Zoom. And my BFF and I are planning to go into mask production for those we love and anyone who needs a homemade mask.
How are you managing our new reality? Are you ready for the next reality of reentering our new world. Healing Waters HypnoFusion™ and Wellness is here and ready to guide you. It is our mission to help you manage your stress and get out of your own way. Call (440-346-2630) or write (Bev@HealingWatersSolutions.com) to schedule YOUR release from stress.
Namaste’.