This is Definitely Not a Vacation

This global pandemic is not a vacation. It is a crisis. Yes, there are some silver linings, but I am more interested in being honest with feelings and noticing the grief, disappointment, anger, discouragement, and frustration first.

I too often see and sometimes fall into a pattern of spiritual bypassing. This way of coping never works. It is not sustainable. What is sustainable is feeling what is present and then authentically moving to the silver linings.

This whole experience is filled with grief, discouragement, and anxiety.

I am not discrediting the power of seeing the positive, but first we must feel the pain, the grief, the loss.There is so much loss in this situation: health, lives, physical connection, plans, vacations, money, jobs, homes, school, and so much more.

What I know to be true is grief is persistent, it will find a way to be felt. The more we resist it, the more it will persist. And if you have had significant loss before this pandemic, it will rise. Grief never goes away. The pain lessens yes, but it is a constant in life.

Maybe your grief is on the surface: you are feeling it and crying. Or maybe grief is showing up as anger, or maybe it is nagging at you but you are not listening.

I encourage you to dive deep into the feelings. Allow yourself to let the energy move through you. It will not kill you; it is energy–big energy–that when tended to and witnessed actually does shift. Find a friend whom you trust unconditionally and have her listen to you, just listen, no feedback no talking you out of your grief. Just through her listening simply saying I see you, I hear you and yes, this is hard. This is where the magic actually comes in, when we are witnessed in our most tender feelings. This is where we find ourselves and our clarity. Not by talking ourselves out of it but feeling our way through.

I have been loving this mantra, For Now We SURVIVE, Later We THRIVE.

This is a time to tend to our hearts and our people. It is a time to listen to the whispers within. Later, on the other side, we can put it all together, map out the new plan, vision, and dream. For now, tend to your heart and take it one day at a time. This is A LOT, A LOT, A LOT. And we are doing it. We are saving lives by staying home and listening to the professionals, but there is no doubt internal experiences and feelings need our attention, not a bypass.

I send you all love and care. We are in this together.