Do you feel stuck and restricted because of Covid-19 social distancing and lockdown measures? Are you forced to #STAYHOME? Join me on a personal treasure hunt and a walk through the perception of the present, looking for your own treasure. Why not create conditions today to manifest your desired future as soon as “tomorrow” comes?

Let’s leverage on this collective pause to bring more quality into your life and maybe contribute to transform your social environment. If you are already on this path, well done! I hope that you find further inspiration in the sentences that follow. 

Step 1 – DON’T FEAR THIS PAUSE 

#SOCIAL DETOX  Social distancing allows what I call a “social detox”. Many people nowadays are forced to stay away from their usual working environment or far away from their extended family. This may trigger a sense of isolation but at the same time, this distance has the advantage to slow down any kind of social pressure. As a consequence, stress slows down as well as any kind of addiction that people may use to compensate for it. What does social detox mean in your life? 

#PRIVACY, PLEASE  Social distancing and temporary isolation can also be seen as a privacy protection. An opportunity to reset the timing and contents of our interactions, improving also our communication skills. We are confined in the intimacy of our own lives and not only from our  homes; but bringing peace to ourselves and creating our own mental and emotional freedom is key, now more than ever. How do you usually protect your privacy?

#SILENCE Surrendering to silence can replenish and  regenerate all your senses. Discover the power of silence by switching off any noise around you for a minute or more per day, if you like. Enjoy the flow and dance with your free thoughts and emotions. Some of you used to be in the vortex of what I call an “accelerated society”, may feel even lazy. It’s Ok, relax for a while not doing anything since most of the world is on pause exactly at the same time you are. 

Being in a contemplation mode will make you receptive and creative at the same time and will also recharge your batteries. Benefit from this pause to listen to yourself, rethink, change perspective, envision future possibilities, choose, decide, learn, imagine, desire, just following your thoughts and getting inspired. If you live with other people, delegate and define shifts for housekeeping, cooking , walking the dog, etc. to save time for yourself. Ask yourself, what really matters to me, at the present moment in my life ? 

#CONNECTIONS REVIEW  How much do you feel people around you depend on you ? Or you on them ? Do you find there is an equal give and take? Which relationships do you feel are more nurturing for you? How many things or people have you welcomed into your life at one stage but now feel like it has become a constraint,  or even obligation to keep? Who are the ones showing interest and care for you, in this particular moment? Who are you more frequently in contact with now? Did you reconnect with somebody far away from your past?

Do you really know what people around you wish for the most in life? Take the time to listen, share, apologize, say those words never spoken and give others  the time and opportunity to do the same with you, if they feel like doing so. How can  relationships be improved during lockdown?

#AUTOMATIC BEHAVIOURS An extraordinary situation such as the current worldwide one, requires an extra-ordinary management approach. Habits which are practiced long enough often bypass our consciousness, becoming familiar to us. We easily identify with them and automatically reproduce the same actions or reactions, sometimes based on external expectations or just to balance stress. What habits have you taken on that don’t really work for you anymore? Which automatic behaviours do you still practice in your life today and have become obsolete? Are you willing to release some?  

#SELF CARE ROUTINE  Perceiving as being put on stand-by mode with little warning  may destabilise the sense of self-power. The need to be in control of almost everything in life could be called into question since certain easy options are temporarily not available. How much do you focus on self-care daily? Self mastery is the ability to make the most of your physical, mental, and spiritual health, despite external factors impacting your life. To facilitate gaining this status, set up a better daily self care routine, to be followed even afterwards in a structured and disciplined way.The regular practice of self care even during isolation, will contribute to a better balance between constraints and wishes, making your approach towards restriction more fluid. As part of your daily full-beauty routine, pay attention to your thoughts as well, they impact on your body and life conditions, to some extent.

Our diet is not only made up of food . Pay attention to what you watch, eat, listen to, read, the environmental conditions, the people around you and be selective feeding your body emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Are you really kind to yourself?   Which changes do you feel might benefit your daily routine?

# ROOM FOR THE NEW  We all have a nook of the house left messy, overflowing of things that we may like to re-arrange or to repurpose. Space clearing and decluttering can be an interesting and creative way to invest time – now that you have that in abundance. Use the additional time to gain physical space in your apartment, with the additional benefit of feeling proud of yourself, positive and empowered. Look at all objects, clothes, ornaments, collections – what do you still have use for, and what needs to go? Can you sell or give anything away, transform it into something else? 

To conclude, this collective pause teaches us not to resign to what unexpectedly impacts our lives. We can choose to live it as an opportunity to rethink and redesign a better quality of  life for tomorrow. 

If you found this article interesting, keep a lookout for Step 2 next week, to complete your personal lockdown treasure hunt.

In the meantime,  stay positive and stay safe today to preserve tomorrow. As I like to say: “The future starts today”.