In the face of so much adversity and loss, human beings remain strong: they resist, attack and persevere. Many have become more aware of their personal reality and have put themselves at the wheel of their lives. They are the strong and committed leaders that these brave times need and who can guide you with these ten ideas:
1. If you are alive, your mission is not over. You are reading this, because the virus has not killed you. It sounds strong, yes, and it is so. You are going to die, so live and live well, what is really worthwhile for you, don't wear yourself out over nonsense. We are all survivors, but don't become victimized, because you become infantilized and subdued. Be a protagonist. Look for what makes you more you, more good. Remove useless burdens. Put aside what does not contribute. The awareness of death helps you to increase your presence in life.
2. You are a mammal. You need hours of sleep, orderly eating, sunshine, contact with nature, following the cycles of the day and the seasons, physical exercise, play, hobbies, environmental changes. The hours of confinement have shown you this. Take more care of the "body self" and your other selves will thank you with emotional stability, mental clarity and greater tolerance to stress.
3. Fear is the messenger, keep the message and fire it. Whether you are one of those who treasured toilet paper or of the denialists, some have responded to fear and vulnerability out of submission and others out of rebellion. If you can develop a new strategy or a new capacity, it is precisely because you are afraid, you feel vulnerable, you are overwhelmed by evil, you are sensitive, you feel helpless, you find it difficult, you are fed up, you are hurt, you are restless, you feel oppressed or death is painful to you. This is the reality of the person, and now that you know it more closely, it is just in and through it that you can grow and be more authentic.
4. Don't wait until the funeral to say you love him/her. The distance and limitations of meeting encourage us to consider the need for human relationships. It is time to cultivate them, improve communication, say what you want, think and feel. You are relational from the first moment of your existence. Establish a healthy balance between giving and caring, helping and being helped. Express it and don't get emotionally engulfed.
5. Invest in what really pays off. Stop the world, I'm getting off! With this braking many have realized that they were running on a hamster wheel, alienated with systems, jobs or ways of life that did not interest them. An opportunity to get off the merry-go-rounds that don't take you to your destination and only make you dizzy. Do some pruning, remove what's left over and sort out your priorities. Partner with you. Walk lightly.
6. Accept, accept and accept. If the pandemic had been anticipated, would you expect such adaptability? Online masses, recorded meditations, different Christmas or vacations without vacations. Acceptance is one of the most powerful actions of the will, because it overcomes resignation and takes responsibility for one's own life. Creative acceptance that responds with its own personality.
7. Your freedom makes me bigger. The solidarity initiatives that have arisen have shown the goodness of human beings. Yours too, right? It is time to love and replace confrontation with listening, understanding, helping, respecting, validating, suggesting, trusting, hoping, forgiving, recovering, giving the opportunity, rebuilding, rehabilitating, uniting in the difference, meeting the freedom of the other, diversifying your relationships and thus, making you better.
8. God has risen again. Reflection and connection with oneself has led many to discover that there is a temple within and that the inhabitant is not the ego; that there is a checking account in heaven that is not filled with money, that angels exist and that God's answer also comes through you. All on the same team.
9. Culture of celebration. It is time to celebrate any event: a new flower in the bonsai, the smile of someone who looks at you, some people shouting in the bar. Time to reinforce any detail we see and to say words of affirmation to the other. To be satisfied for so much that you do well, for so much that others do well. To be able to be called Don Satisfied.
10. Thanks to life. During hard confinement you were privileged to have access to a terrace or a small garden. How many simple luxuries we enjoy every day! Running water, stopping at a bar, going to the park, coming and going as you please. You can cherish all those things you took for granted, which are a great gift of life and enjoy them. Go to sleep each day with a smile of gratitude. Give thanks and thanks will be given to you.
