From all the conversations I’ve had this week I know I’m not alone in being a bit worn down by COVID. Even if it doesn’t dominate every conversation it’s definitely a magnetic pull that we can’t avoid talking about in some way. Then there’s the change is season and the clocks going back which always takes a bit of getting used to – even though I love the crunchy leaves and smoky skies of autumn, and you may too – but this year it all seems especially poignant. We still have a great deal of uncertainty over lockdowns and vaccines, self-isolation and transmission rates. It doesn’t make navigating the regular ups and downs of life any easier does it? There may be a temptation to sit back and see what happens right now – or maybe you’re feeling a bit shell shocked and unable to take any action – or even full of determination not to let this get the better of you - for all of these reasons I would suggest that now is actually the ideal time for all of us to re-invest. In ourseslves.
Nurturing ourselves
It’s been a crazy year for all of us and if you have missed deadlines, cancelled plans, thrown To Do lists in the bin and not been able to achieve the goals you’d set for this year then you’re not alone. This has happened to everyone – and it was inevitable given the circumstances of a global pandemic, something none of us has ever had to cope with before. Nevertheless, despite the fact that we all know this deep down there is still a temptation to be hard on ourselves. While very few people have managed to achieve much this year you can still find a few people who have or appear to have, and compare yourself negatively to them – this is a bad habit that so many of us have fallen into. If you feel yourself doing this –because of all the things you haven’t done this year, maybe feeling that you haven’t achieved, measured up somehow – then now is exactly the right time to switch into nurture mode. Be kind, caring and compassionate with yourself even though you’ve lost sight of those best intentions and haven’t made the most of lockdown, or you didn’t get that job, that promotion, home school as you’d hoped, get fit or lose weight.
Re-investing in you
Nurturing is the place to begin when we want to start from a baseline of self-compassion – and we often underestimate how powerful that can be when it comes to freeing ourselves from critical self-talk and damaging narratives that keep us stuck. From there we can look at ways to re-invest in ourselves, taking into account the current circumstances, and looking ahead to the new year. This could include:
· Physically, whether that’s reviewing the food you eat and how it provides the fuel you need, or how you could change your exercise routine to accommodate this current lifestyle and improve your wellbeing. I’ve just gone back to the gym and although it’s tough because I’ve lost whatever fitness levels I used to have, I’m so glad to be there, but I need a Personal Trainer to keep encouraging me.
· Emotionally, which could mean committing to a journaling practice so that you’re in touch with who you are at the moment and how you feel, making space for meditation or finding a talking therapy, including coaching perhaps, that allows you to express some of the pent up frustration that this year has created for many of us. I bought a beautiful journal, that’s tactile and I’ve been writing in it most days. It’s very interesting how searingly honest I can be on those pages and how cathartic that is·
I’m offering time for individuals and groups to Pause. This is the chance to look back over the year and begin to see the long view of what it’s been like for you. I’ve also created a place to retreat to and have some time to yourself, so you could book The Space where you can think, write, imagine and refocus on what you want to come next.
Time and resources spent on you are an investment you will never regret and one that can instantly reap positive rewards. After the stress and exhaustion of this year now is the ideal time to re-invest, replenish and start to find your way back to your true self.