The one big lesson that COVID-19 has taught, was to take our first inconvenient pause. COVID-19 forced the entire world to literally come to a screeching halt and take a pause. For many, this pause was necessary because it allowed people the time, space, and opportunity to take a look at what they were doing on a yearly, and even daily, basis.
At first people were shell-shocked, like a deer in the headlights, and didn’t know how to process what was going on. As people started to slowly regain their foothold and navigate this new world with the mandated face masks, six foot distancing, and overly excessive sanitary procedures, many saw the need to make some long needed changes and adaptations to their lifestyles.
The negative side of the pause was placed upon the business that were considered non-essential, who were forced to shutter their doors and wait for permission to reopen and hope to make up for months of lost income and productivity. This created a huge amount of stress for the entrepreneurs, self-employed, small businesses, and restaurants, which forced many to tighten their spending belts and take out loans to weather these mandated impositions.
The workers and businesses who were considered essential, discovered less traffic, shifting job schedules – some working from home or with a part-time, in-office routine. People who normally kept themselves consistently busy, discovered the mental and emotional challenges of being alone and started to suffer from depression and anxiety from not being able to connect with loved ones or friends. People in care home facilities and rehabilitation centers were quickly isolated from loved ones and had to fend for themselves.
However, as I have learned and observed through the years, there are always equal and corresponding positives to the challenging negatives. Many individuals with the pause had a chance to get off the hamster wheel of life to see more clearly what was truly essential in their lives. Sitting together as a family at the dinner table and reconnecting in deeper ways, offered the opportunity to be grateful for their health, and if not in good health, the opportunity to take action to create a more healthy lifestyle with home cooked meals, more rest, and time to exercise. Some discovered they didn’t like their jobs and either retired or started to look into other options to generate an income and livelihood. Some discovered that they were living beyond their means and created a plan to get their financial house in order. Others got to use COVID-19 as an excuse not to meet up with people – family or friends that they didn’t want to see.
As you see, the power of the pause is determined by you, and can either be seen as a curse or a blessing. However, whichever way you experienced the global pause, know that you have the power of perception and choices. You can see this break in your routine as bad or good. I, for one, got to finally make a shift that I’ve been wanting to do for the past seven years. I am always searching for ways to help my members become more empowered in their bodies and lives, and to ultimately learn how to self heal if that’s what they want.
I also saw the need for those individuals who wanted to feel better immediately, and others who came for their adjustments to be supported in their busy, and sometimes hectic, lives. This break in my usual routine allowed me the time to rebrand and find other ways to support my members locally and abroad via telehealth, in-person, one-on-one mind body consults, and my mind body talks on Zoom.
Use the power of the pause to help you connect with your inner guidance and check in to see if you are in the flow of your life, or have been swept by the mainstream and are just living on autopilot. Remember that you are the only one who can determine if you are in rhythm with your life, or if you allow life circumstances to dictate how you live day-to-day. You have one life to live, so use moments of respite and pause to give you the time to keep living the way you are, and make any necessary adjustments to experience moments in life that take your breath away!
