“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?” ― Rumi
"I can't wait for things to get back to normal" is a phrase I've heard repeated over and over throughout these past months.
But, that "normal" doesn't exist anymore.
Things have changed, as they always have and always will.
Just as we can't go back in time to 1 hour, 1 day or 1 week ago, we can't magically snap our fingers and pretend like this whole "COVID-19 thing" never happened.
We can choose to either accept or deny this as reality.
Denial can be a valid coping mechanism for the short term, giving you the time needed to adjust to a painful or stressful issue.
But as a long term strategy denial becomes harmful as it 1) doesn't change the reality of the situation and 2) prevents you from taking appropriate action.
When you're in denial, you:
Don't acknowledge a difficult situation
Don't face the facts of a problem
Downplay possible consequences of the issue
Consider these examples of unhealthy denial:
You drink in excess every evening but insist that "you can stop at anytime".
You've been continually gaining weight but argue that "it's just your hormones".
You routinely sleep 4 hours a night but maintain that "you really don't need more than that".
You frequently have negative thoughts but swear that "you're totally fine".
The world is in the midst of a global pandemic, but you're convinced everyting will just "go back to normal".
Resisting reality won't change it. However, acceptance can.
Acceptance is not resignation.
Resigning to a situation is "learning to live with it".
It's enduring rather than adapting. It's coming up with excuses rather than looking for solutions.
The Coronavirus pandemic has given us an opportunity.
An opportunity to examine how we spend our days, which extrapolates to how we spend our lives.
It has given us an opportunity to examine our reality.
Some of us were just going through the motions, day after day.
A lot of us were overworked and overstressed.
And most of us were living with some amount of denial.
Denial that we spent more money on designer clothes than on our health.
Denial that we spent more time with our co workers than our kids.
Denial that we spent more energy worrying about what our boss wanted for the company than what we wanted for ourselves.
Do you really want to "just go back" to how things were previously?
Or do you want to accept your reality and adapt to a new future?
One where you choose where to spend your money, your time and your energy.
One where you face the facts of your problems and decide to make personal change.
Now, don't get my wrong, I don't wish for the "stay at home" orders to continue for any longer than necessary. But I also don't want to travel back in time.
I want to adapt, not deny.
How can you see opportunity in this new reality, rather than loss?
How can you focus on solutions, rather than excuses?
How can you live with acceptance, rather than resignation?
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