How do we make any meaning out of something that is so horrifying and volatile as this coronavirus pandemic? When there is so much suffering, worldwide?
That seems like an oxymoron.
But, as one of my clients said: what if this is also a sacred time?
As we all know, in any situation, there are multiple things that are possible or true.
There’s love in grief. There’s holding our center in chaos. There’s searching for personal meaning in this capricious and uncaring pandemic.
The art is in being able to hold them all simultaneously.
And the real art is choosing our response to something that is completely out of our control.
It is stunning how quickly the environment of our lives is changing, and how unpredictability is becoming a way of life.
I sent this list of questions to my clients, as a place to start to try to make a meaning for ourselves out of this crisis.
Of course, the crisis will affect each of us in vastly different ways, so different questions will resonate with different people, depending upon their very unique reality. Some of them will feel right for you, and some of them won’t. That’s ok; don’t force it.
- What are your most essential values, and how can you live them even more fully in this chaotic and changing environment?
- What matters most to you during this time, and how does that awareness inform your choices now?
- Who do you choose to be, as we move forward every day, in increasing uncertainty? We don’t necessarily choose the circumstances that we find ourselves to be in, but we do get to choose who we want to be, and we can decide how we can be responsive instead of reactive.
- Check in with yourself and very compassionately feel whether there is a part of you that feels stress in this uncertainty. How can you take care of that part of you, with love and compassion, while you remain centered in the fullness of your deep resourcefulness?
- What are the most critical practices (mind, body, spirit, emotions) for you to attend to, in order to sustain your health and well-being?
- What is it especially important to attend to right now, and what are the things that you need to do differently in your life, in the midst of change?
- How can you help, or contribute, to someone else’s well-being?
- What are you letting go?
- How is your business, or work, changing, and how can you serve your employer or clients even more fully, to support their well-being?
- And, finally, what are the unique opportunities of this time, that you may not have had prior to this pandemic? What can you do now to support your health, happiness and prosperity in the future?
I hope that you find some solace in hearing the wisdom of your soul, as you contemplate these reflections.
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