The world has stopped. The unthinkable has happened and we’re in crisis mode, trying to get our heads around this ‘new normal’.
I’ve been here before.
No, not exactly like this, obviously. But almost five years ago, my world stopped when I finally admitted I couldn’t teach anymore. I’ve been adapting to my new normal ever since. It’s been a bumpy ride, but there have been many surprising blessings as well.
Learning to be. This is a big one. We are so inundated with messages telling us we need to be doing something all the time. There’s a culture of busy-ness, where the more you’re doing is like a badge of honour. When you have a chronic illness, that’s not really an option because the fatigue, among other things, is so killer that You. Just. Can’t.
So you spend a lot of time at home, sitting around, isolated, without a whole lot of options for entertainment. Sound familiar? I’m sure it’s a new experience for most healthy people, and it can be uncomfortable just sitting in your own skin sometimes. Or maybe that’s just the MS. 🤔
But just being, instead of always doing can be a wonderful opportunity to get real with yourself and figure out what’s really important. We’ve been conditioned to believe we need to be working, be productive, be entertained, be adventurous, be travelling , be consuming, be socializing.
We’ve forgotten that sometimes it’s important to just BE.
When you stop doing and sit quietly with yourself, your mind has space to process. This is why meditation has become so popular. But you don’t even have to be that organized about it. I’m not knocking meditation in any way, I’m just suggesting that you pay attention to whether you take any time during your day to stop doing and just BE.
Staring at nature is my go-to for times when I need to stop and be for awhile, even if it’s just out the window, or the nature channel on TV. I guess that’s technically doing something but the mental health benefits outweigh any slicing of that proverbial hair.
We’ve been running on the societal treadmill for so long that doing nothing, just BEING is a difficult thing for many people right now. I get it. Like with anything though, a shift in perspective can change this strange situation we’re finding ourselves in, into an opportunity to examine our values and decide if we really want to go back to the “old normal”.
As much as I miss teaching, I am grateful every single day for my many blessings. Learning to be comfortable with just being and not doing all the time has helped me enormously in accepting my new normal. I hope it helps you too.
Just be.
❤️ Amanda
You make a really good point. To just be is something many of us have to learn, practice…and not feel guilty about. Sometimes I call it daydreaming 🙂
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It’s the not feeling guilty about it that’s the trick, isn’t it? Daydreaming is where it’s at, for sure!! 😊
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Yup…that guilt part sneaks its way in if we aren’t careful. Perhaps we need a support group for daydreamers😉
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Haha, good idea!
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Great advice!
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Thanks lovely!
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You are so right!
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Thanks! Hope all is well with you!
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Nice to see a post from you again Amanda 🌹
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Thanks Elaine. I’ve been so busy gardening, I’ve hardly done any writing. Great to be back though. Hope you’re keeping well!
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Great suggestion! Just be.
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Thanks Kim. Simple, but it helps. Hope you’re well!
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beautiful post Amanda…………it is a bumpy road to acceptance but you have handle it with beauty and grace.
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Easier said than done some days for sure. ❤️
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I’ll certainly pray for you –
with a hedNjury, things can
be tuff… yet que cera cera.
GBY
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