With each lockdown, people seem to find it harder mentally to be OK. In the last 4 weeks I’ve had so many people say to me this is just so much harder this time round… and the emotions of sadness, lack of control, lack of motivation, tiredness, boredom and worry continue to grow.
But you may not notice these so much as they lurk in our sub conscious. Emotions rippling under the surface are cognitively draining – it’s a constant drain on our mind, the cortisol of stress keeps seeping into our physical and over time we feel exhausted! We then start to feel the effects of “Languishing” which can be confused and interpreted as depression.
Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. (*NY Times)
So we see and hear of many people struggling. Struggling with the unknown, the uncertainty, the desire for our old life to come back and the bigger question of what is life all about. This will be the normal with the emotional long-haul of the pandemic and associated lockdowns.
Part of the danger is that when you’re languishing, you might not notice the dulling of delight or the dwindling of drive. You don’t catch yourself slipping slowly into solitude; you’re indifferent to your indifference. When you can’t see your own suffering, you don’t seek help or even do much to help yourself. (*NY Times)
So it’s important more than ever to do the “mahi”, to put in the time to develop yourself, to not let yourself be absorbed into all the negativity and find a new normal and ways to motivate and be excited about your life.
- What new things are you learning?
- How are you developing yourself?
- Are you searching for more meaning and answers about you and your purpose, your why? (we all have one or 2 or 3)
- What plans are you making?
- What are you dreaming about, when things get easier to manage with the pandemic?
- Who are you connecting with?
- What are you doing to self care for yourself?
- How are you contributing to yourself and those around you?
- Are you choosing energisers or de-energisers?
The list goes on. Use this time to find deeper meaning in yourself, your life and your legacy.
I know it’s easy to do nothing, to complain, be negative and blame others. BUT what I do also know ,is that the most powerful place to be, to experience freedom over life, to be empowered, is to take action that puts you back in the drivers seat of life and propels you forward. They can be tiny actions, a small rejig of your mindset and attitude, just reset the button on your life and make it the best it can be given the pandemic environment. You will pop out the other side in a great place.
We all know this will slow down and stop – we just don’t know when.
Let’s get in touch and work together to make the change impactful, or you can visit our website to find out more!
