When it became apparent that everything was going to be changing, for all of us, a few weeks ago, I naturally had a bit of a panic. In response to that panic (which was mostly about being isolated and unable to have human contact for a long time) I tried to control my situation by scheduling in a gazzilion meets on Zoom, WhatsApp, FaceTime and email.
Whilst it has been so nice to stay so connected to everyone, I realised I was resisting what was happening. I was resisting just relaxing and enjoying my own company. I was resisting spending long periods of time not speaking to anyone apart from the cat. Predominantly because I was scared about what that might feel like.
More recently however, I have had moments where I’ve put my laptop to one side, laid on the sofa with no agenda and just allowed myself to be quiet and still. And you know what, it really didn’t feel that scary or bad. In fact, it felt like a relief. It felt calming and safe and relaxed.
And I realised in that moment that I have two choices, I can push back and manipulate this current situation into something that vaguely resembles the past, or I can surrender to what’s going on. I can go with the flow of what’s happening in the world right now.
As I have allowed myself to surrender a little more over the past few days I’ve noticed I’m starting to feel more at peace. I’m also starting to get curious about what I might learn in this period, I’m getting curious about how I might change. The experience has become lighter, more interesting, more open.
And so, in the spirit of letting go, I’d like to invite you to think about what you might be resisting or pushing back against right now, and to think about how you might surrender and get curious a little more.
With love and hope, Hannah and Team Bird
PS. We had a number of responses to our idea to run a resilience webinar for Bird readers. We will be releasing a date and more information mid week next week. If you are interested please do let me know so we have a clearer idea about the appetite for such a session. We will endeavour to make it low cost and as accessible as possible in this challenging time.
Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash