Discovering One Gem Of Lockdown: Finding The Way In
Most of us are looking forward to everything that may be possible after the lockdown. Craving the Way Out. But there might be a gem waiting for you within. Let's take the WAY In.
(Watch this video or keep reading)
Remember when we were all mostly stuck inside during the first lockdown? It was a complete 180 in life as many or us knew it. We knew it would change again one day, but we didn't know when exactly, or how. But for an unspecified time stretch, we were, partly traumatized and scared, but also somewhat happy in this shrunken, tiny world. The world was small, a kind of village, and everyone took their own part in it. We got our neighbors their groceries, and Zoomed more often with grandma.
We attended the first marriages, christenings and funerals through Zoom. It was strange, felt unnatural and somewhat painful. But also weirdly exciting. For a couple of days. After that, we just grew weary.
The learning curve of doing everything online suddenly was more steep than ever before. That was also a good thing. Many colleagues of mine, online communicators, creators and e-learning developers, were quite relieved that those long meetings in Farawayistan were no longer necessary.
At the beginning of May, I wrote a blog article about things to cherish, even after the lockdown. I had asked on Twitter what things people were going to miss, once the world would open up again. There were many answers. Long story short: people thrived while doing things in their own time, and choosing their own pace. The rat race was no more, and we found our own rhythm. The clock didn't rule our day anymore. Also, many cherished the increased amount of time with their partners and their children. Also, neighborhoods were quiet, you could hear the birds sing again. We saw ducks and other animals benefit from their increased waddling space, blue skies, and clear water in the Venetian canals. This lead to wonderful videos everywhere. Slow cooking had a surge, we stirred in stews during lunch break, and cooking channels on YouTube thrived like never before. We enjoyed lunch in our garden or balcony, and took on more creative projects, just for fun.
Also, FOMO was obliterated. You knew for sure that there was absolutely nothing you missed. So less envy, more inner peace about Instagram timeline management.
And society was a bit friendlier, allover. We were kinder and more patient. All in all, pretty idyllic, despite the horrifying situation many people were directly suffering because of the virus.
(Watch this video or keep reading)
And or course, most people yearned for 'being able to go outside' again. To be free. Or perhaps stay at home to stay virus free, but to at least have the OPTION to leave the house. To go visit friends. Or to go on holiday abroad. Or just go to the pub. Most of us craved a way...OUT.
Of course the virus isn't gone by far, unfortunately. But now that some part of the world is opening up again to some extent (but SAFETY FIRST, OF COURSE!), and the hard news facts are still flying around your ears, perhaps more than ever in this generation, there seems to be a bigger gap between that safe tiny village lockdown world of homemade bread, neighbor groceries, and garden visits, and what we see out there. Aggression, tough political struggles, and issues that people are protesting for, or against.
And that place in between, let's call it the 'third place', isn't so comfortable or even accessible anymore. De third place, which used to be like Starbucks. That place you went to when you didn't want to go home just yet, but also didn't want to linger at the office. I see people sitting in their cars with their laptops nowadays, just to get out of the house for a while. And unfortunately, there are also many people socially struggling while in lockdown. Especially if they have to deal with domestic violence, or mental health issues. It can be challenging indeed.
But let's switch back to those blessings of lockdown. The things that many of us experienced as valuable. There is a fair chance that exactly those things came from within. Like making more quality time with your kids, and for your creative endeavors. No stress about commuting. No FOMO. Being able to do everything at your own pace. Have these things found their steady spot in your life now? Those little things might just be the big things in your life, also professionally. And perhaps there are more treasures to be found there.
I think we're being invited to switching from craving a Way Out, to finding the Way IN.
That what comes naturally from within is so much more natural than that which comes from elsewhere. It may be quite liberating to water the grass in your own garden, and to cherish what you have. Losing FOMO isn't a bad thing. What makes that you're okay right now? And if you don't feel so great, what would make it possible for you to feel your life from within?
This actually connects well with radical empathy, which I addressed in a previous article. Being able to empathize with someone, because although you know quite well that you are not like the other, that you really have a different life, but that you can cherish the differences, more and more. But this time ... radical empathy for yourself. Not in order to make yourself the central focal point, but to practice self-care in challenging times. Feeling okay, from within, no matter what happens out there. Whether it be in the third place, at Starbucks, or at protest marches, or on the timeline or in your newsfeed.
The Way In.
A few days ago, a pharmacist friend of mine sent me this meme, and it resonated with me quite a bit. They were four photographs. The first photo was of a cat sitting cozy behind a window. The cat represented people working from home in their sweatpants. In the following pictures you saw an arm appear, someone pulling the cat away from her comfortable place. The word above it: Pfizer. The manufacturer of one of the vaccines against the coronavirus. I'm that cat. Because yes, introverts unite, but remote eh. In sweatpants.
And whether you crave the way out, or the way you prefer is... cherish what comes from within.
But what do you think? Do you enjoy the indoor quality time and take the opportunity to dig deep? Or are you craving the way out? I'd love to hear.