First of all, I will apologise for going totally off radar. There has been a couple of reasons for this, firstly because I have not known how to explain how I am feeling myself, secondly, I wasn’t sure what help it would be to others!
Today I had some time alone to sit and reflect and it gave me enough breathing space to actually think of what it is I wanted to write about…. And that is how this year we’ve totally lost our heads (and understandably so).
I went back to work in July and was absolutely balls to the wall for the next couple of months simply trying to rebuild my business back after the COVID hit. I promised myself during lockdown that when life got back to ‘normal’ (or the ‘new normal’ as they like to call it now), I would continue the good habits I was doing for myself and my mindset in lockdown including blogging, walking, enjoying nature, eating well, switching off and just looking after myself! Within less than 2 months I had more or less dropped all of that instantly and gone back to the exhausted and stressed person I knew so well from before. Which begs the question… why do we not look after ourselves first?! …. This is something I tell my clients all the time, that in order to perform at our best and be the best version of ourselves we must look after our own wellbeing and be our own top priority, but it is so much easier said than done right! So, we keep pushing on and on until naturally we end up bottled full of anxiety and feeling completely overwhelmed. This is before we then add the global pandemic into the equation which makes us question and challenge so many things in our lives!
Every single person has had a totally different experience during this pandemic but some underlying things I know I have massively felt along with many loved ones around me is that feeling of uncertainty and inability to change things which are totally out of our control. Anyone out there with the same nature as me that is to be in charge and in control of things will feel quite lost in these times… and that is how I would describe myself. The lockdown for me made me question so much about myself, life, work and priorities to name just a few and I am still trying to detangle all of the webs I have weaved in my mind… but what happens if we just let go of control and let things be? …. When we begin to accept the things that are out of our control and just focus on the things that we can, you start to see some sky amongst the trees. This will look and feel different to everyone but for me this is writing down everything that’s inside my head on a page and then quite literally highlighting the things that I can actually change to those that I can’t… and this is my way of getting control back! If you are feeling the same give it a go, I promise it helps.
How else can we help with our anxious thoughts?… there are so many ways people find relief from anxiety and so I can only speak from my own experience but for me my yoga, meditation and mindful breathing has been a huge comfort blanket through all of this. Some of you out there may find this kind of stuff a bit ‘flowery’ but I encourage everyone to give it a go! Meditation in particular is an interesting one…. The idea being to sit and stay in the present without letting your mind wander. I can honestly say I think mine was under 10 seconds the first time which is terrifying really! … Our minds are constantly just in a million places at once that we actually now have to train it to just shut up! How on earth do we expect to feel relaxed and calm when we are trying to mentally do everything at once, it’s actually crazy. There are some fantastic apps, podcasts and playlists out there you can use for this, or simply just take yourself to a quiet place and just sit for a few minutes observing the present space around you. Each time you feel your mind wandering just acknowledge this and bring it back to that moment you are in. The first few times your mind will wander a LOT… but over time you will be able to channel into the present, clearing your mind of all the noise.
Anyway, I didn’t want this to be a long COVID rampage or a preaching positivity lecture because let’s be honest, we have all seen, read and heard enough of both of those. I guess I just wanted this to be a small help for anyone out there who is feeling a little lost like me during this difficult and unsettling time. Fundamentally none of us have a clue what is around the corner or have the answers to everything, but all we can do is ensure we are armed both mentally and physically for whatever comes next. I certainly from today will be taking more time for myself again.
Take care, look after yourselves and don’t forget to talk!
Lots of Love
CK
Ciara Kiely 