Hello... cough cough splutter splutter (just kidding)
But seriously, I hope this letter finds you well, physically and mentally!
What a month it has been! I spent most of it acting like a headless chicken going from panic to total denial.
The panic had my mind spin out of control coming up with a million and one new ideas for income streams and projects I wanted to have completed by Friday (previous week). Yes. I failed... Who would have thought that panic is not the best state to attract creative flow?!
And total denial not only about the threat itself but from the actual fact that we have entered a new era and there is no turning back to how things used to be. This isn't temporary.
The world is ch ch changing forever.
We have to give ourselves time to adjust, to grieve and to recover from the shock of losing jobs, friends and life as we know it.
And then we have to try to think positive and look at the bright side (if you are not there yet, I hear you! Skip this next bit)
Here are 3 positives that transpired for me:
1. Slowing down.
After the aforementioned couple of weeks of trying to do everything at once, I have automatically settled into a much slower pace of life. I get up when I naturally wake up, eat when I feel hungry, do the one thing I feel most inspired to do, read, work out, go for a little walk and go to bed when I'm tired. Instead of a to do list with 10 bullet points, I focus on one task per day and feel satisfied after accomplishing it, whether that's drawing a picture or hustling for work/Universal Credit. It all feels much more natural taking just one step at the time.
2. No pressure.
Since I've embarked on the journey of a self employed artist/designer, I always felt under pressure to compete. I always felt like I was the only one not having their shit together and that I'm lagging behind. Now that the whole world came to a halt it took that pressure away. It's now not just me who struggles and is winging it anymore - everybody does. In a way, it has re-balanced people. We're all in the same boat.
3. Mindfulness.
Yes, yes everybody is going on about it but it's true. Being thrown into a new and difficult situation without much warning really shows you where you are at on your personal journey. How buddhist are you when shit really hits the fan? Are you able to let go of trying to control everything?
I really do believe it's a chance for personal growth on a big scale as we're all facing the trauma together.
I think there is a real chance for a positive new beginning.