Living in lockdown has its frustrations, and for many the suffering both financial and health wise has been brutal. However it’s also taught me to dance in the moment, be creative with my time, a little less “me, myself, I” and more “us, ourselves, we” in my awareness of self and others.
Have we developed new skills from living through the pandemic? I’ve found the simple, mundane tasks have become a saving ritual. Maybe the frustration we feel gives us a chance to take stock and be more grateful for the day the day things.
It’s less “me” and more “us”. Gratitude is a better way of thinking!
I noticed last night as my daughter and I were clearing the dishes away after dinner, how we waltzed around each other in a new end of day routine. We have four adults working, studying and socializing on zoom and Xbox from home. It has forced on us a more efficient and mindful way of using space and living together. What began with anger and frustration when one person wanted the room for telly, one for the Xbox and another to just sit quietly has transformed into a dance of sorts. During the first lockdown living indoors was like bumping into each other on a busy city street, now we side step, weave and dodge more gracefully. We plan and book our spaces in advance, trying to schedule our days with a little more understanding of each other needs. It’s less “me” and more “us”. The fifth member of the family our dog Ivy is loving the 24×7 attention and her extra daily walks.
We live more skilfully
We live more skilfully. We connect with friends and family on zoom, we check on our neighbours. We depend on each other more than ever before. We’ve become more aware of the things that really annoy us and more mindful of how we can manage our reactions better. There is a greater need for everyone to recognise their own feelings their ups and downs and when they’ve reached their own breaking point, and to consider how their behaviour affects others. Our ability as a family to read and respect each other has changed and we have created different spaces within our home that allow us time to ourselves. The waves of frustration family members feel has now been balanced with a little more grace and gratitude. We know we are the lucky ones. This state of awareness reminds of the work by Neuroscientist Dr Britta Hölzel. She describes how when we are aware of our own feelings we can choose a better response to a situation and self-regulate our emotions. As we become more attuned to our feelings and our emotional reactions, we become less judgmental and more accepting. In our household, because life has been boring and mundane, we’ve had the time to become more self-aware. In fact we’ve become more mindful without even realizing it, because living in close quarters demands it of us. Harmony is easier than disharmony.
Will we take a few of the new rituals and routines with us?
In lockdown, you could say life has been boring and frustrating or you could flip it on its head and see if there is another way of looking at our situation. I’m a glass half full so I’m seeing the positives where I can. As lockdown lifts over the next few weeks, I wonder will we take a few of the new rituals and routines with us? According to the Ipsos global happiness study one in five believe their lives have improved since last March and the feel more content, while 54 per cent say they will miss some aspects of the Covid-19 restrictions.
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