Wow – who would have thought we would have experienced what we have done over the past year?! How are you? How are your family and friends? Hairier, possibly a few pounds heavier, more relaxed, grateful?
As the restrictions relax there is talk of getting back to normal. I invite you to take a moment to reflect upon these past 14 months and what they have meant for you, to consider what is normal and do you want to go back there?
We have had a good year of doing things differently. As things start to open and life starts up again, what do you want to continue doing and what do you want to change? What have you learned from this time, this slowing down for many of us, returning to basics and essentials?
What have you missed? What do you categorically know that you want to go back to doing, or never do again?
One of the requirements has been staying at home and not being able to go out and about or exercise. At the beginning I saw many more people out and about walking, when we were walking our dogs, who I have never seen before. Over the weeks this has slowly decreased and I am now only meeting the usual dog walkers. For many people working at home this means that the commute, walking to and from work, getting up in the office to talk with colleagues has gone. This also includes school children.
Much of our communication has gone online, meaning we are possibly spending more time now sitting than ever before. Sitting for prolonged periods of time is really bad for our health. We have seen that COVID causes more severe problems for people who are unhealthy and/or have pre-existing medical conditions.
I suggest the one thing we need to take from this experience is that we need to take responsibility for our own health. Unfortunately that means that we may need to take a good, long hard look in the mirror and be really truthful about our lifestyle and how that will be impacting upon our health. Some questions to ponder could include: what am I eating and when, how much alcohol am I consuming, how am I spending my time, how am I using my body, how is my mind and thoughts, how much time am I spending watching the news or on social media, how am I sleeping?
There may be a tendency and desire to rush back to what we knew and how we used to be, doing what we used to do, in the way we used to do it. However there is a great opportunity – right now – to choose what we want to go back to doing.
Let us take a moment, and a breath, before we choose to do anything. Knowing and understanding why we are choosing to do things in the way that we are, is extremely helpful for our continued wellbeing.
This article is written by Karen Robinson, our Clinical Director.