How, you might ask, after all the death and disruption, could there even be a Covid “gift”? A fair question, and the answer might be difficult to accept. But here goes …
As we endeavor to move through this incredible chapter in our lives, the chapter titled “Covid 19,” I’ve been working really hard to keep the positives alive in my head. Yes, full honor to those who have passed away, have been impacted with illness, financial insecurity, or emotional stress—or all of these and more. I fervently wish relief and ease going forward to those so challenged.
That said, I believe it’s easy to overlook the gift we have received from Covid. I think it is The Thing behind all recent changes in human behavior and all transformation inside or out. I propose that the gift is a shift, an increase, in awareness. What makes the shift doubly powerful is that we have experienced it together.
Blah! The words tend to fall flat as I write them. Will try again. It is facing challenging experiences that allows us to see and know who we truly are. And never in recent history has technology combined with a global event—Covid-19—to allow communication to be so wide open and so rapid between cultures, ages, income brackets, and indeed countries. I believe this has created an transformation in human consciousness, resulting in greater awareness; and that is a very good thing—a gift, even.
Awareness. Such a weirdly vague yet common word … and why does it matter? Here’s why: without awareness, you or I are not making conscious choices. What drives us to seek answers or change, and why? That’s a question I contemplate frequently.
Let’s apply this concept. If change is what you seek, then consciously (with awareness), choose actions that will get you there with sustainable results. Because awareness is self defined and unquantifiable, we have no common language for it. When I work with someone who wants to lose weight, for example, the empowerment for my client often comes from his or her understanding of what foods and activity level need to come together to make the change happen.That requires a self-knowing, which usually leads to that person’s sense of self shifting to enable the next action steps.
This is what Covid has done: it required us to look at our bodies and our health and then talk about them. This can manifest at even the granular level, such as choosing when and if you wear a mask or get vaccinated. And whether you said yes or no to those decisions, you nevertheless underwent a process to reach them. Your reflection and inquiries helped guide what mattered to you.
So, to repeat—while it may seem that the world is falling apart in some ways, I feel this pandemic has given us one gift that allows for enormous global and individual change—that’s more self awareness, both collective and individual.
Denise’s
2 Cents:
You and I are just not the same people we were 18 months ago (or yesterday, for that matter, but that’s another newsletter—stayed tuned!). In case you’re unsure how to get started to increase awareness, know that awareness can actually be cultivated. Here are some simple hints from Deepak Chopra:
- Notice how you feel.
- Notice how others are feeling.
- Notice how the situation you are in feels.
Two tools in this process are 1) to learn to focus and 2) to be able to be internally still. These are standard goals of a meditation practice that can also be applied to skills such as gardening, creating art, or simply watching and deeply listening in the moment. Greater awareness can enable you to focus longer and with greater attention. I believe these are the keys to reaching your emotional fulfillment as well as your fitness goals.