Honoring Our Feelings During Shelter in Place

Whatever you are feeling, you are not alone. Whatever you are doing, or not doing, you are enough. Your rhythms might change day to day, you will find your way, you are finding your way through this.

There is no “right” way to shelter in place. Success or failure lives only in your own heart. Please be gentle with yourself. Welcome your own self- compassion.

There is no “right” way to shelter in place.

No matter your journey right now, whether you are working harder than ever or your work is on hold for a time, these are unusual times, unusual responses are normal too.

If you feel like you do not know what you need to do right now, you are not alone. It is easy to feel lost and unmoored in the face of all the uncertainties.

If you are filled with confusion and guilt because all you are getting done is massive amounts of nothing, you are not alone. Many people are struggling with lack of motivation and downward spiraling days filled with Netflix and Cheetos, which then lead to more downward spiraling days.

It is easy to feel lost and unmoored in the face of all the uncertainties.

If you have had enough of Zoom calls to last you two lifetimes and have retreated inward wondering if you need to join a monastery after all this, you are not alone. It is going to take a while to figure out the pacing of these new rules of social engagement, and disengagement.

If you are feeling sadness at the cost of this epidemic on one or more of your children, robbing them, and you, of certain rites of passage. You are not alone. Many of us feel powerless in the face of this epidemic, and it hurts to not be able to protect our children from feeling powerless too.

You are not alone.

Here are some other feelings that you might have encountered during these past few weeks:

Overwhelmed- Where do we start? When will this end? How will we cope?

Anger/frustration- It’s not fair! This can’t be happening. I am just so angry. I don’t want to.

Fear-Will my loved one die? Will I die? What will become of the world, my workplace, my job, everything?

Exhaustion-This is exhausting. I don’t know how long I can do this. I’m just so tired.

Identifying and acknowledging our emotions gives us the opportunity to soothe ourselves rather than just stuff it down.

There are so many feelings that we move through in times of trial. We can all remind ourselves that we are “lucky in the scheme of things, there are so many others with harder roads than we have right now,” but I encourage you to honor the landscape of your feelings day to day.

Identifying and acknowledging our emotions gives us the opportunity to soothe ourselves rather than just stuff it down. When we honor our feelings, our ability to be present increases, and it is within the present moment that we can find comfort, compassion, and the fortitude to overcome from a nourished place inside of us.