The noise from four active children -my neighbors in the upstairs apartment- woke me up this morning. 

I don’t blame them.

No doubt the argument was about very important to four children who’ve been in lockdown for three weeks in a row.
(Sigh)

We are starting our fourth week of confinement, and the government has approved this week to keep it two more weeks. Let’s see if that’s enough.

Our 8:00 pm round of applause meant to show our appreciation for the health professionals taking care of everyone has turned -in my opinion- into an excuse to see a smiling face on a window from the other side of the street. 

There is an old couple, whose names I don’t even know, who waves us goodbye each evening before going back inside.

A friend has sent me a funny quote via Whatsapp: -” I’m beginning to feel like a Disney princess. I talk to teapots, cups, and forks…!”

Maybe humor will save our sanity but…

Will I be able to save my business?

I had lots of plans for these weeks.

I wanted to get a lot of stuff done.

I run a virtual business, I work from home, so nothing has really changed for me,

… or has it?

I discovered I could not focus.

I couldn’t record any new videos, nor design my next online course, I couldn’t even keep up with my weekly article that I’ve been publishing for years!

In spite of my good intentions, my mind was somewhere else.

The primitive parts of my brain are in control now.

And as Pierre Janet, one of the pioneers of Depth Psychology, discovered: “Mental energy is a limited resource”.

There are forces in your psyche that are much stronger than your will power.

If your unconscious mind is triggered by what is going on, even though I don’t want it to be like that, you won’t have enough mental bandwidth to deal with other things.

And that’s exactly what is going on for me now.

Who can continue doing business as usual when you are worried about the safety of your family?

Exactly.

So I’ve had to stop, reflect and do things differently. At least for the time being.

3 Things that are helping me to cope

These are the 3 things I’ve found most useful to cope in this time of crisis. I hope they serve you well.

1) Be gentle with yourself.

I’ve noticed that I’m going through what Kubler-Ross called “the stages of grief”. I felt immense sadness for a couple of weeks, now I’m in anger. I still haven’t reached the acceptance stage, but it’s ok, with time I will be there.

I’m drawing mandalas to express how I feel, and I’m trying to be present to my current emotions. Trying to hide or deny them only makes things worse.

2) Lower your expectations

I should know by now that things don’t tend to go as planned.

Some processes can’t be speeded up.

And no matter how badly I felt for not sending you a fresh new article, the reality is that I didn’t have the inner strength nor the clarity to do it.

Till now.

My first instinct, probably cause I’m introvert, was to go inwards. Take some time to engage in inner work. 

And I shouldn’t have resisted it. 

It’s always after I’ve been able to process what is going on for me that I have new insights to share with you, but never before.

3) Talk to friends

When my friend Megan told me she couldn’t focus either, I felt a huge sense of relief. It’s not just me, it’s a common thing. And every time we encounter a shared experience, we are face to face with the archetypal, the forces of life, bigger than you and me.

Ride the wave as best you can, knowing that you are not alone.

And if you feel like you need someone to talk to, please email me or leave a comment. I’m happy to be here for you.