“I fear unfamiliar enclosed spaces yet I sleep well in every new hotel. As I’m naturally highly anxious I make sure that I study very carefully a fire escape route from my new room the first thing when I arrive. Then I know that if there is an emergency in the middle of the night I’ll wake up and know exactly what to do without panic. And I sleep deeply every time”.
This is my paraphrase of a passage I remember from a good book on Life Coaching (apologies for not remembering the author or the title). The idea is: learn well and in advance what you might need in a particular potential emergency.
And even though the current zeitgeist seems to be: ‘THE CRISIS’ I’d like to add: we also need a Map: ‘Onward’.
The Crisis: past, present and future
The problems I personally can see in the current Coronavirus crisis are:
- We need to let go of certain aspects of a recent past, fully. Sudden and forced social disconnection of an uncertain length or/and a pause in work with unclear outcomes trigger much deeper and far reaching reactions in human psyche that we can immediately detect. A forced letting go is not the same as a fully accepted one.
- We need to keep responding proactively to a current situation: this is still in focus. We need to get into our best shape and stay calmly prepared. We need to be prepared to take an adequate action at the earliest stage possible when/if we ‘get the virus’ and fully recover.
- We need to start processing the experience and understanding the consequences such as an imminent rise in stress related diseases and ramifications of an imposed change in our life/professional situation.
Despite the drama of the moment it’s the n3 problem that will be in focus long term.
The Here and Now vs Onward
According to the news the situation is as unusual as it is dynamic. This still keeps us glued to the screen (voluntary) receiving ample daily helpings of fear and uncertainty. While being informed of current guidelines is a necessity, un actionable emotions are detrimental for health.
The ‘lockdown’ became a time capsule of a kind enhanced by space restrictions. The Here and Now seems to be such a strong focus that it feels strange to look into the future at this stage. I can’t help thinking that this particular aspect of otherwise damaging chaos has a bright side: we are being present and acutely aware of the world around us. If anything, the lesson of being present is being promptly learnt in these weeks.
Potential implications of contracting the virus might be severe; this fear makes our focus freeze and not extend enough to a see a bigger picture.
Yet the future is being shaped rapidly. Choosing to look ahead, having made a plan for a potential emergency will transform this paralysing fear into the Map ‘Onward’.
Memorising a ‘Fire Escape’ route
Applying the idea of studying a ‘Fire Escape’ route to the current Coronavirus crisis it’s refreshing to have a clear plan for ‘what if’.
Viral infections tend to develop quickly and interventions at early stage determine the outcome particularly if you have sensitive health. Learn your Acupuncture points today if you haven’t already. Or, get clear on any other plan.
While we can hope the ‘Virus’ somehow won’t affect us specifically, projected figures suggest that it likely will. The degree of potential damage will vary wildly depending on our overall health and our actions. It’s a high time to set about supporting our Immune system.
Acupuncture was recently found to have a positive effect on Coronavirus related acute respiratory distress, both in acute stage and recovery. In an acute stage Acupuncture would be my first choice (followed by Colourpuncture). Please get advice from your doctor on any physical symptoms.
However, Colourpuncture excels as a family self help making a huge difference for home treatment of early/mild symptoms.
Colourpuncture is amazing for gaining perspective on the past and Letting Go.
And, Colourpuncture brings you closer to what you are and where you really want to go – and to the ‘Onward’ Map.
As soon as you decided on and memorised your emergency map (what do I do exactly if/when I contract virus? Stay home, take paracetamol and hope for the better? Do some Acupressure, Colourpuncture, Acupuncture to give myself much better chances? Go bold with Naturopathy?) you can put it aside and focus on the future.
Swap anxiety for a plan, breathe and relax.
If we choose to go with the flow working with the zeitgeist we will accept an invitation to ‘shelter within’ and finally relax into an unintended sabbatical.
We might like it. We might not like it.
The reality is: we are being strongly ‘advised’ to slow down and stay inside. Many, many surprises can be found inside our homes, our families and our Souls. Getting answers from inside may lead us Onwards as nothing else will.
By now we are clear on our level of contribution; and the escape route too. We may choose to focus on rest and sleep to support health and sanity; family; roots; key activities; meditation; walks in nature – whatever works for you.
What works for you?
We can choose to focus on the Self, think clearly, act decisively and map the Onward.
If we look past the drama of the moment what we will see is there is a big wave happening.
Uninvited.
Huge.
Wild.
Unpredictable.
How not to be afraid of this big wave consuming us but to rise with the wave, safely and wisely?
Working on making fear actionable will give us peace, and a plan. It will also give us trust and a better aligned direction.
An un-actionable sticky fear clouds our judgment so we don’t see the path in front of us while it might be neither far nor difficult. Un-actionable fear is the worst kind: it envelops our Soul as cold fog; it also suppresses our immune system.
I feel now we are having a precious window of time for a really deep work.
That kind which you may not usually go for as it is a little scary – to look long in a mirror, to look deep into your Soul and ask yourself really important questions which you might never had courage, time or incentive to ask.
Deep treatments of Colourpuncture such as Transmitter Relays; ‘Rings of Saturn’; Fear and Conflict Resolution therapies; Bardo; work with crystals, work with ingrained patterns of pain and disease with Induction therapy, will help you deeply relax and tune into insights coming from your body and Soul. Deep work will help you to reach serenity; it will also support revising an onward direction.
Or we might choose to work from the conscious level and ask ourselves those liberating Quality Questions.
I feel that to emerge from this crisis relatively unscarred we need to make our future life situation better than it was before.
Why?
Sympathetic dominance
I think we all agree that vast majority now lives in a state of sympathetic dominance. It’s great for survival (we are full of adrenaline, we can act quickly) but not so great for health (for healing, we need peace).
The lifestyle change was both unexpected and imposed; potential consequences look scary. That means that on a body level our Sympathetic Nervous System reads it as a major threat to survival, no matter what logical narrative we rehearse to calm ourselves on a conscious level.
It’s a delicate balance to both stay prepared to deal promptly and efficiently with a potential emergency and to cultivate healing parasympathetic state to build health and body resources.
As humans we are equipped to deal with a short term acute stress: you see the sable toothed tiger you run away; you are back safe in your cave you calm down, breathe and recover; repeat daily.
We are not equipped to deal with lesser but protracted stress. A long period of sympathetic dominance will inevitably trigger psychosomatic diseases. Un actionable emotions will multiply the damage.
We need to create a better situation in our future to negate health consequences of this crisis.
Going onwards we need to recognise and use this situation as a trigger for creating stronger health, more supportive daily habits, deeper self awareness and better social connections.
Now is a good time to take a deep breath and start with calm observation. Breathing deeply is probably the quickest way to step into parasympathetic healing; a habit well worth practicing.
Lockdown spotlights things we are usually too busy to notice.
What did you notice lately, staying in? Relationships problems? Weak family ties? Feeling great that you don’t have to work? Feeling you’d rather be at work?
Where you feel change is needed?
We can make a list of outdated habits.
We can notice positive changes which started to happen with a lockdown.
We may generally start to observe and ask ourselves quality questions.
A good question is better than a good answer
I found that the ability to ask ourselves ‘quality questions’ is extremely important (I’d say decisive) for sustainable health, mental and physical.
And that a good question is probably better than a good answer. An answer which was good 10 years ago might not fit today. You probably already actioned it and moved past it. Today’s answer might not work in 5 years from now. But a quality question once asked, is internalised and on the next ‘crossroad’ life situation you will remember it and it will also help you.
Last year I started creating a program for deeper, more complete healing based on my clinical experience. It is centred around quality questions which I found worked a treat for my patients (and myself). The start was planned on the end of March 2020.
Little I knew how interesting was going to be the timing…when we did start at the end of March 2020 it coincided with a Coronavirus lockdown.
We are at a crossroad now. The timing is perfect – I’d encourage you to try.
What is your deep inner work?
Colourpuncture deep therapies and Quality Questions work for me, my students and patients.
What works for you?
Are you currently engaging in any kind of deep inner work?
What deep work helped you in the past? Is it still relevant?
What deep inner work you always wanted to do but never came to trying?
What comes up in your recent dreams?
What do you simply feel you need to be doing?
We all have some inner guidance however subtle at all times. Now with a natural focus on our inner life it’s a great time to listen to it.
Onward
Making a list of things which changed, likely to change and which we want to change from this moment onward can be the best way to start processing the experience.
Lockdown lifted, what are first things you are going to do?
What changed in your plans and wishes while sheltering within?
A somewhat different reality is shaping up.
We need a map going onward from here.
How are you going to create yours?
