5 Unexpected Lessons that Lockdown is Teaching Me

So many people start off the new year with the hype of a fresh start, anticipation that this year will in some way be better than the last, so unless you have a really accurate crystal ball of some sort, I don’t think that any of us could have predicted exactly the way this year has unfolded so far.

With the majority of us still in some form of lockdown, which means something different for each of us depending on our circumstances, it has been an interesting, heart breaking time for humanity to say the least. If you were struggling prior to this lockdown with stress or burnout then this will definitely be heightened even further during this time, which is why I wanted to write this blog post to give you some hope.

Extremes of the lockdown experience

There has been a couple of extremes of how people are reacting to the current crisis, with some people going into full “let’s get things done” mode, and if you come out of it without a new skill you wasted your time. To the opposite end of the scale where some people are just trying to survive so “making the most” of the situation just may not be an option for them. Is there a right or wrong here, my opinion is no. As with everything there is no right or wrong, good or bad, one size fits all, especially in unchartered water.

One thing I would like people to consider though, no matter what end of the scale you have found yourself, is that there really are valuable lessons we are all being asked to learn at this time. I am not saying you will have wasted your time if you don’t learn anything educational during this time, but each of us will be shown something about how we were living our lives previously by having the rug pulled out from underneath us, so when you are ready those lessons will come to you.

Personally, I have had old wounds from the past come up that I still needed to heal. Being at home brought back feelings I had when I first had my little one where I really felt trapped as so much of my identify was wrapped up in my work. I also had to heal feelings of helpless and hopefulness which came from my childhood as whenever there was a big change in my life, I never felt like there was anything I could do about it. Once I allowed myself to feel everything I needed to feel, I was able to see what I could do to help others and it opened me up to learning some other valuable lessons which I would really love to share with you.

5 Unexpected Lessons  

The five top lessons I have learnt so far are below (there were more but if I go too much into my lessons about society and humanity, we will be here all day, hehe!)

-         Patience really is a virtue; in the hustle culture we have been living in patience has really gone out the window with everyone expecting things to have happened yesterday and that every detail of our life must fit into a carefully thought out plan. What I have learnt now is that not everything will happen in your time frame, however sometimes everything you ever dreamt of is just around the corner if you are willing to be patient a tiny bit longer.

-         Certainty is an illusion; at the moment everything feels even more uncertain than ever however the only certainty in life is uncertainty, nothing is guaranteed. As we try to cling to control, we have got more and more stressed with time, taking a step back and accepting that we don’t have control over anything outside of ourselves but only of our inner world is where our power lies. 

-         It’s time to stop sweating the small stuff; I have spent so much time worrying about all the details in the past and what I have realised is that a lot of it really does not matter at all. We end up wasting so much time and energy making sure everything is in place that we miss out on being fully present for the things and people that do matter.

-         Connection is possible even during times of disconnection; even though I have missed being physically present with some of my family and friends, I have not felt this connected to my love ones and others in years. We can feel lonely even when we are with others, and true validation and connection starts with connection to yourself first.

-         We are so much more resilient than we give ourselves credit for; whether you have been on either side of the scale, we are all so much more resilient than we give ourselves credit for. We all have our own demons we need to fight and are currently being forced to face them by being pushed inside. So, if you need to be productive AF at the moment or to just do nothing and BE then you are exactly where you are meant to be right now so give yourself some credit for showing up each day the best that you can right now, it takes bravery and courage.

When you allow yourself to feel whatever you need to feel right now, what lessons do you think you are learning?

Sending love and light.