So many tips and tricks are being shared to get through the quarantine…

…Well… I’d like to highlight a couple of aspects that I haven’t come across much.

In mainstream media it’s all about handwashing, social distancing and ‘learning-a-new-language-now–that-you-have-the-time-for-it’. The more alternative media are telling us how to boost our immune system and are advising us to more deeply connect with ourselves and our loved ones.

All very useful, but let’s look at a few things:
1) Couples that both work from home and have children barely have time to get out of their pyjamas, let alone learn how to play the guitar on YouTube or go on a spiritual journey.
Trying to home school, keeping the house in order and getting some office work fitted into their day-to-day is what they are currently dealing with.

2) Those of us who are suddenly finding themselves with a lot more time on their hands may be left a little bewildered. They may not have been investing much in meaningful relationships in the past few years and are now faced with ‘me-myself-and-I’ without the necessary skills to navigate their inner landscape. In case they have a partner things could be a lot more tense than they had bargained for.

There are many more categories of course, but whichever one you fall into, some type of slowing down amidst all of this ‘is’ going to take place for you at one point or another.
Be easy on yourself and take a step back to assess your life if you feel called to do so.

Valuable lessons can be learnt during this time of confinement:
1) For the ‘busy’ parents: simply spot certain patterns, thoughts, behaviors,… Pick up on things that you might like to change about yourself, your life, and also, take a look at traits that you really enjoy about yourself and your loved ones.
Maybe you are finding that you have developed a certain habit of losing your temper quite quickly or talking to your partner in a disrespectful manner. At the same time you may be pleasantly surprised by how kind your son is or how funny your partner is in times of crisis. And maybe you’ll even come to the conclusion that you don’t need that many social gatherings on the weekend to feel relaxed.
If you don’t get around to working through the issues you have identified right away, write them down and ‘store them’ for later when your schedule clears up a bit. Make a commitment to yourself that you ‘will’ take action. Your life will be the better for it in the long run.

2) For the people that have a lot of extra time: realize that the things you are experiencing and feeling now didn’t magically show up in your life because of this crisis (this is also true for any other category!).
More often than not sensations, feelings of anxiety, anger, grief, etc. are emotions that have been lingering for a quite some time and can even be traced back to early childhood. Simply know that this applies to any human on the planet. Many others like you will have things come to the surface during this time.
You have several options: you can start writing down what you are noticing (the good and the bad) and go find yourself an online course that helps you navigate what you are feeling or you can find a practitioner online that provides individual guidance. Whatever you decide to do, getting started is key. Everything else will evolve from that point onwards.

This is an excellent time to start creating a stronger foundation within yourself.
You don’t have to ‘deep dive’ into this type of emotional ground work right away. Taking it step by step will pay off more in the long run anyway.

Just bear in mind: It’s not a sprint and it’s not a competition. After all, we are all in this together.
Be well & happy exploring!

© Els De Schaepmeester
For more info on how to work with me: www.thehouseofhealing.info