On longing for lockdown.
I work with leaders. Stars. Super-capable people.
And yet:
not once but several times upon a time,
I've heard from my clients this sort of fantasy:
I sometimes kinda wish I could get sick / have a semi-serious accident.
Not so bad that my life was in danger!
But bad enough that I'd be able to just . . . opt out for a couple months.
Yeah.
For these powerful, dedicated, accomplished people,
their schedules are so hectic, or their responsibilities so heavy,
that a threat of physical harm feels preferable to the status quo.
Maybe you're relieved to see you're not alone in this macabre thought.
Or maybe your version is more like this:
Of course I know the pandemic was terrible and I feel weird saying it,
but COVID lockdown was actually kinda good for me?
I hear this a LOT, and even feel it a little myself,
especially now that we are getting back to business as usual
back to the office
back to the commute
back to shuttling kids to all the activities
back to work travel
back to pre-pandemic demands on our presence, time, and energy
So.
Let's just marvel for a moment at the staggering demands our profit-obsessed culture places on us,
such that many of us look back with sheepish semi-fondness at a PANDEMIC.
Let's deeply acknowledge how difficult it can be, in this pushpushpush moremoremore hurryhurryhurry world,
to slow down, or say No, or just stay home,
when it's not socially sanctioned or epidemiologically recommended.
And let's remember what I help my clients remember:
That we are co-creators of this culture.
That when we set boundaries, we're doing it for our colleagues as well as ourselves.
That when we slow down, we're doing it for our teams as well as ourselves.
That when we preserve more space in everyday life, we're doing it for our families and friends as well as ourselves.
That when we say Whoa. Too Much. We are doing Too. Much.
we can turn away from ramping up “productivity” levels,
and toward a greater level of care for ourselves and our communities.
-----This is especially necessary for all the people who bore and still bear the most strain of the pandemic: the nurses, doctors, teachers, essential workers, and scores of folks who lost jobs, businesses, and loved ones.-----
May we conjure the courage to co-create a culture that allows space for healing and wellbeing.
May we learn to give ourselves a break, rather than wait for disaster to do it for us.
love,
Natalie