As my clients and I consider re-emerging, I’m beginning to notice a set of anxious, even grief-type thoughts and emotions are also rising. Out of necessity I now describe this set of thoughts and emotions as “re-emergence stress.”
Today I give three keys to loving yourself right now in this 2021 moment, because I bet I’m not the only one who needs them. Can’t say the “L Word” to yourself, yet? You’re not alone. Self-love is hard in our culture. In psychology we talk more about self-compassion and self-acceptance than self-love, but they all make up a valuable practice.
2020, a year that no one expected, warrants closure. This one took many drafts and more thought than some, and may take more unpacking as well, but, in the end, for me, it fits. I truly encourage you, try it this time.
“If I were to skip one, this is not the one to skip. This is maybe the most important one,” Jon said, then shocked himself into silence. He came to grips with his answer in pauses. “I need to think about that for a while. Yeah, maybe this is the most important—I don’t want to set the bar to high, Jeez,” he said, smiling at himself.
Today we’re going to focus on how to amp up that gratitude for these trying times. You want that increased happiness, improved health, better sleep and boosted immune system? You gotta fight for it. You gotta weaponize your gratitude.
At the center of Samhain was one crucial dynamic: Letting go to that which has passed away so they, and we, can move on. What better time to let go of some of our COVID-19 losses than Halloween? What better way to honor the festival which has changed so much over the centuries than to return to its roots amid our current changing culture?
In these new times, with new practices, is even more vital to keep up traditions. Hence, my annual six word stories of the summer.
On the other side of this virus will be a new, and better culture but only if we make it so. We can’t go backward, as much as I would wish it, but we can go boldly forward based on shared values, and into a tomorrow that is safe, connected and joyful.
If we choose to prioritize our interdependence with others and take CDC mandated steps, we validate our own independence.
Let's continue to fight Corona. Let's build a better normal not just a new one. A normal where every race, color, gender identity and nationality has justice and safety. A normal where family is not just a byproduct of adult work life, but a homestead which blossoms the crop of our career from its soil.
