Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
Like a plant slowly unfurling after a period of being under the soil, we are starting to begin to move into a post quarantine world. Our communities are opening up bit by bit, store by store, activity by activity and we are all excited to feel the sun on our skin once again. Many of us are struggling to determine how to be a bright flower once more. This can be a challenge because quarantine changed all our old rhythms and patterns. Many of us feel like we are still coated in soil and are wondering how to process that experience. In the end we need to simply take the time to slowly transform ourselves into what we want to be at this particular moment.
The first step is to take a few moments to remind yourself that you are brave and bold and beautiful inside and out. Once you are comfortable in your own skin you might consider how to slowly incorporate habits and fashion items you used to wear back into your routine. For example many of us have fallen away from putting on makeup, in this case starting with something like eyebrow pencil, a bit of lip color, or a touch of blush might make sense. For some we have found ourselves in yoga pants and other comfy outfits every day, in this case we might put on a nice dress and some heels even if we are just walking around the neighborhood. For others we have COVID hair and can consider all the different ways we can now style our hair to look good.
The next step is to be aware of how your life is going to be changing once again. We may be moving past quarantine but life will not quickly go back to what it was like before. If we expect things to be the same, we will find ourselves overwhelmed, and struggle to be our best in this new reality. It is important to take the time to plan what this new world is going to look like for you. We may be tempted to jump in as soon as we can doing a million and one activities with friends and family which we have missed. But it is better to think about what activity level makes sense to you at this moment. You will still have to say no and protect your time and energy, otherwise, the transition out of quarantine might be even tougher than the transition in.
Finally you must take the lessons you have learned from this time period about what really matters to you with you. While small in-person social gatherings are wonderful it is important not to disconnect from those you spent time online with. For many of us this period has provided us the push to be social in new ways such as more regular contact with friends and family through zoom calls and virtual game nights. While it will be wonderful to be able to see people in person many of us have formed closer bonds with others than we had before. We should not throw away these bonds. We can still call, zoom, write notes, and play with friends and family geographically spread out.
As more and more communities are opening up we are faced with the challenge of navigating our own transitions. These will not be easy and there is no guidebook for how to do it. In the end it comes down to us filling ourselves, planning so that we do not become overwhelmed, and taking the time to understand the lessons in being social we have learned. This might be a challenge but we are up to it and will soon be standing tall as our best selves.