‘There are far better things ahead than we leave behind us’ Quote by C.S Lewis.
What difficult times we find ourselves in and how quickly our lives have changed. I have found myself experiencing a roller coaster of emotions…anxiety, sadness, fear, anger, hopelessness then moments of laughter and giggles… I will suddenly find myself crying without even realising it…and it is OK. Yes it is OK not to be OK.
What is important is to find ways to support each other and this in itself presents difficulties as members of our families, friends and colleagues are self –isolating and as we follow social distancing, we cannot even give each other a hug.
But there is hope and there are strategies we can use to ground ourselves and get through each day. I am currently learning about ‘Active Hope’, a practice which is a process we can apply to any situation, involving 3 steps. First we take a clear view of reality, second we identify what we hope for in terms of the direction we’d like to move in or the values we would like to see expressed and thirdly we take steps to move ourselves and our situation in that direction.
Active Hope does not require optimism, therefore we can apply it in areas where we feel hopeless. The guiding impetus is intention. We choose what we aim to bring about, act for or express. This is not a new practice, it has been around for over a decade and emerged in response to the crisis of world sustainability and climate change. More information can be found on the website ‘activehope.info’ and currently there are resources linked to the corona virus within the ‘online resource for Active Hope Book Groups, including a free online course facilitated by Chris Johnstone (College of Wellbeing).
Within the practice of ‘Active Hope’ there are various strategies which can be followed which relate to gratitude and in these difficult times there are still things we can be grateful for and by thinking about these we can move our thinking from negative to positive.
Idea for today: Name as many things you love in 1 minute. Begin with the sentence ‘I love…..’
‘I love my family, my friends, the children in my school, sunrise and sunsets, sitting in the garden with the sun shining, noticing the signs of Spring, the smell of the grass when it has just been cut, the sound of the birds, reading a book, cooking a new recipe, spending time learning something new …’
Thinking like this is uplifting and as I reread what I have written I notice I can still connect with all these things, even in these times of self-isolating and social distancing. OK I need to make some changes to how I continue with some of these but I can do it. For example, I cannot meet physically with my family but we can Facetime and speak on the phone. I can still read…I have my kindle, I can cook...in fact as we visit the shops less than usual I can become even more creative with my recipes!
As our school remains open for the children of key workers I do still meet with my colleagues at work, although in fewer numbers and in different circumstances. I still see a small number of children and I am kept busy by the ever changing rules and routines that are put in place each day. My job has changed from rushing from one meeting to another and focusing on data, targets and school improvement to manning the office, answering phone calls to support parents with questions about free school meals and home learning, trying to keep on top of government policies and cleaning the toilets!
At all times, I appreciate that what we are doing in schools is nothing compared to what we are relying on our NHS colleagues to do. We absolutely support them in all they do and are humbled by their bravery and professionalism. We know they are scared too and we can offer a listening ear and a ‘thank you’. When this is all over we will be able to give them a big hug too!
We need to remember, we will get through this and while we are in the middle of it, try to be grateful for what we have.
Stay home, stay safe.
Want to Explore this Further?
Watch this TED Talk
Go ahead, dream about the future (Charlie Jane Anders | TEDWomen 2019)
Take Action
If you want to work with me, contact me on isabel@norfolklifecoach.co.uk
Or visit my website https://www.norfolklifecoach.co.uk
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