Confused, grateful, scared, at peace, cautious. These are just a few of the things I am feeling at this moment.  I feel like our world has shifted forever and my emotions at this time are super heightened and what I know for sure, is I am not the only one feeling this mixed soup of emotions.

Change is something we often say that we enjoy, we relish, we invite into our lives.  But what I think we often mean is that we like change when it’s something we chose, when it’s something we’re in control of.  When a crisis like this happens in the world, the way we view the world and our place in it gets flipped on its head and for a lot of us that is scary.

I believe that now more than ever, the universe is calling us to get back to basics, realise what is important and move away from the individualistic lifestyle that so many of us have become accustomed to.  Being in isolation does not mean we can’t act as a collective and care for one another.

So how do we look after ourselves and others in these times?

• Be kind, smile at people, look them in the eye when you get a chance and let them know you care (even if you have never met them before in your life).

• Practice empathy, imagine how they might be feeling and place yourself there.

• Take only what you need.  Stop this silliness of hoarding goods.

• Facetime your loved ones – isolation does not need to equal loneliness.

• Be there for one another – listen to how others are feeling and validate their feelings.  It doesn’t mean you need to feel the same or even understand why they are feeling that way, just know that the feeling for them is real.

• Understand if people are not acting like their “usual selves” – everyone responds differently to stress and anxiety.

• Remember that everyone is doing the best that they can, and that “best” can look different minute to minute.

We will get through this together and if anything, we will learn to appreciate the little things more than we ever have.  So, practice self-care like you are training for it for the Olympics and love harder than you ever have, because all we really have is this moment.

Beck x