Feeling Lighter?

What have you shed during our call to socially isolate?

It’s true that we may never get back to the life we had before all this mess, but that may be the best thing for us. It appears that nature is healing, people have shown great kindness, and we are learning to live with less–driving, hustle, entertainment, and other personal comforts. Almost as if we are shedding many of the things that were not completely necessary. Are we learning to live lighter?

For me, I was running a million miles an hour before I was ordered to lockdown. There was work, events, hustle here, hustle there, show up, be seen, and it was absolutely exhausting. Living in our modern society brings about a constant “need” to keep up and make the best of every moment, but it seems that we have all forgotten to just “be” sometimes. Just enjoy the moment, and it’s OK to just relax.

We needed to slow down. We needed to stop and reevaluate.

It’s unfortunate how it happened. It’s extremely sad that people are suffering, dying even during a pandemic that completely blindsided our society and really exposed the cracks in what we thought was our solid lives. However, as with every tragedy, it is best, in fact, necessary to find the lesson; to find the silver lining and continue with what we have left. Maybe what we have left now, and what we will take with us into the future is a lighter version of our lives before, and our “new normal” is something much more sustainable.

Think about all that you have been living without during his time of quarantine and reflection. Do you really miss it all? How much of a relief is it to let some of that baggage go? To let some of that expectation fade? To just live in a moment and “be”? Are you feeling lighter?

Sure, there are things from “before” that you will bring with you on your journey into the future, and that’s OK, too. It’s OK to miss your life and the way things were, don’t let anyone take that from you. But do you feel lighter?

Feeling lighter doesn’t always have to be positive. I know many of us are feeling lighter in our finances, and that is completely terrifying. I feel that. I understand how the loss of a job can make you feel lighter, but also scared and anxious. Embrace these feelings, allow yourself to feel them, and remember that when you are further along and more successful and someone is asking for your empathy in their current employment loss. Your shared experiences will help you understand deeper, and this is something that you can take with you into the “after.”

Tell me, what have you shed? What have you decided is unnecessary moving forward? What aspects of your life are you willing to leave behind to help you live lighter?