This current world situation seems like one of those creativity exercises…

Imagine, if the whole world stopped.  You couldn’t leave your house.  And, when you did, you had to wear a mask and gloves, and carry hand sanitizer.  Once you were back inside the safety of your home, you had to wash your clothes in hot water, and your hands and body while singing Happy Birthday twice to make sure that soap had 20 seconds to kill the invisible virus.  In this scenario, what would you focus on? How would you spend your days?  How would you re-invent yourself for the new world?

Well, as we all know, it’s not a fantasy exercise, it’s reality.

Today, I know that the only way to the other side is to go through it in stages like the five stages of grief [1. Denial and isolation…literally!; 2. Anger; 3. Bargaining; 4. Depression; and finally, 5. Acceptance].  I didn’t think about it this way until recently. But we are all in one stage or another of mourning our life as we knew it. 

Looking back, my life was relatively carefree and filled with immense freedom and selfish joy.  The dangers out in the world were mostly self-inflicted and now, with Covid-19, it is like the turf outside my two doors are a battlefield keeping me inside.  I imagine that we are all experiencing what it must feel like for the law-abiding residents of the worst neighborhoods and projects in Chicago, New York, LA and other cities with a high crime and murder rate.  They don’t know what they are going to find when they walk outside their door. 

But instead of thinking that home is a prison, I am re-framing this time as a vacation at home.  A time to learn, pause and do new things.  That doesn’t mean that it is not stressful, but I have finally come through my five stages.  I am not only accepting my forced cocooning, but I am embracing it.  We have the power to re-frame this as a special time to remember, instead of an agonizing thing that we must endure.

Before the pandemic, I traveled frequently and I loved the planning for a trip as much as I loved taking the trip.  I would spend hours researching where I was going and making a list of what to pack so that I wouldn’t over-pack—but I always over-pack. 

So, that means that I put together a “Travelers Dozen” list of Tips for traveling lightly through the pandemic.  These tips will help me get through this challenging time and prepare me for the new world that will emerge post Covid-19. I hope that they will help you as well.  I have them printed out and posted above my desk as a reminder.  Feel free to do the same.

1. Pick your Reinvention destination. 

2. Explore who you are by answering the kind of questions [of yourself] that you ask of others when you meet someone new and interesting. 

3. Observe.  Mentally remove yourself [from you] and look at yourself with the same critical eye as if you were your own client. 

4. Grow your non-work hobbies and interests. 

5. Be active. Do something physical every day. 

6. “Be gentle with yourself” Don’t overbook yourself. Look at this time as a gift and plan time to read, binge Netflix, exercise, re-connect with friends and family, take a bath, meditate, do yoga, paint, etc. 

7. Pause 3 times a day for one minute.  Take a deep breath and check-in with yourself. Make sure you are on track [for traveling lightly]. 

8. Identify one small thing that will help you move forward and Do It!

9. Let it be. Don’t do so much organizing and housework/yardwork that you are exhausted and don’t have time to think.

10. Perfection doesn’t exist right now. “Remember, you have what you need.”

11. Feast. Plan your meals like you are on a trip. Make them occasions to rejoice, not something to hurry through. 

12. Accept. Don’t beat yourself up. You can’t really do anything until this passes so do what you want to do, not what you think you should do. 

13. Buy/Pick a souvenir that you will have forever to remind you of this trip. Something long-lasting like a watch or jewelry, a special book, art, or a scarf that you can enjoy now and have for the rest of your life as a remembrance of this time. 

Authored By: Elizabeth Karmel, Director