Reconnecting with Self in Uncertain Times

There’s no denying we are living in a time of uncertainty. The Corona virus has sparked fear throughout the world and with that fear has come erratic behaviour and a ‘fight for your own’ mentality.

With countries going into lock down; travellers, elderly and the ‘compromised’ being asked to self isolate; large events and gatherings being cancelled; schools and businesses closing their doors – its little wonder fear is going to make itself known.

Yesterday, after a conversation with some of the women in my community, I returned home with a migraine. The words going through my mind, ‘I can’t get my head around this’. As with the fires, the floods, the conflicts with neighbours and close friends, I believe there is a higher reason for this global outbreak.

We know that as the Corona virus continues to spread, the likelihood of us all needing to self-isolate is growing – in an attempt to stop the spread.

What does this look like, at its very core? It looks like being at home – being with ourselves, our children, our families. It looks like making do with what we’ve got – if were out of toilet paper, we’ll find alternatives. For many it looks like boredom, restlessness, discomfort – and we all know how much we try and avoid these feelings.

If we’re forced to stay at home, we are forced to sit with our discomfort.

I’ve heard the conspiracy theories and scare-tactics and I’m sorry but I just don’t buy into it. Something that was discussed within our community yesterday was the need to connect, now more than ever. The need to spend time together, to talk through our fears and plan for what’s to come.

I understand this need and I see where it’s coming from – particularly with a government that’s doing its best to stop all forms connection (gatherings, big events, large work places and schools). But it does raise a question in me.

What if all this ‘shut down’ and disconnection is actually doing us a favour? In order to get to a level of deep connection with others and community, we first need to find this deep connection within ourselves.

Take a look at intentional communities (one of which I’m a member of) – they don’t work unless people are connected with themselves and taking responsibility for their own feelings. It’s a bit like a marriage - if you go into it trying to find that missing piece, there’s a good chance you’re not going to last long.

What if this virus was the medicine we’ve all on some level been seeking? What if being forced to self isolate was exactly what we needed to come back to ourselves?

With isolation, comes time – time to sit and be, time to connect with ourselves, to be with our discomfort, our restlessness, our boredom. Time to FEEL again. I’m in no way suggesting that this is easy. We live in a society that demands we are in our heads, so many of us have forgotten how to be in our bodies.

We’ve forgotten how to listen to our bodies (through feelings and sensations), how to move our bodies in non-linier ways, how to breathe deeply, how to come back to who we are at our core. We’re conditioned to do what were told, to not ask questions, to follow the norm.

What if the Corona virus was giving us an opportunity to stand back and really look at ourselves – to sit with our pain and discomfort and notice what lies beneath it? When we disconnect with our feelings, we disconnect with our joy, our passion and our creativity.

I wonder what might happen if we all started reconnecting with ourselves again? My guess, is the opposite of what so many (including myself) have feared – we become more connected as communities, and more connected to the earth!