It’s Time to Move on from COVID, But We Need to Do It as One

The past 18 months have been tough on the emotional body. Dealing with loss, bracing for the unknown, and shouldering through have all taken their toll. If you check in, chances are, you’ll find a layer of tension under a layer of fatigue. The tension is your body’s response to stress and distress; the fatigue reflects how much energy it takes to be vigilant. Once emotional tension sets in, it tends to keep holding on until something shifts the dynamic. Following the principle of inertia, we need an impetus to get things moving again.

As more and more people get vaccinated, restrictions are easing up. The CDC tells us we can walk around and socialize safely outdoors without a mask. The promise of unrestricted mobility is on the horizon. As the threat recedes, so can our emotional tension. But this isn’t so easy. Faced with the uncertainties of a worldwide pandemic, we instinctively stopped, tucked in, and held on waiting for the danger to pass. Yet, the danger just went on and on. Even though our mind might know there’s light at the end of the tunnel, our emotional body is still on high alert. Finding ways to let go can be the catalyst for moving on. 

Some ways to let go: 

Do something different. When you’ve had too much time to sit around and stew, the antidote is to get up and do something. The weather is lovely and, after 15 months of restricted mobility, it finally feels as if we can be outside with confidence. Why not take a road trip up the coast or go wine tasting in the Valley? Schedule time to hang out with friends to catch up and have a few laughs. Just relax, enjoy the beauty, and share a bit of bonhomie. Celebrate how good it feels to be out again. Just breaking loose can kindle positive feelings, dissipate stress, and get things moving.

Create time for e-motions. Imagine a web of emotional energy fueling the tension in your shoulders, jaw, and gut. Instead of connecting this energy with a story or personal history, just deal with it as pure-form energy… in motion. E-motion. Choose a private time and place and sit with your emotional body. Feel the locus of emotional holding or fluttering wherever it shows up. Hum softly and let the tone open up the tension and quiet the vibration. Then, take your hands and brush the residue away. Although this may seem silly or awkward or strange, it works. Releasing the energy at its own level is a great way to move on.  

Ask for help. Just asking for help can be a change in direction. As adults we rarely think to put ourselves on the receiving end of nurturing care. Over the past year, probably not at all. Your body has been doing a great job managing these extraordinary times. Maybe it’s time to give something back. A simple shampoo and trim or a pedicure at your favorite salon can reset the program. Craniosacral, acupuncture, Reiki, quantum healing, and massage therapies are designed to get things moving. All of these treatment scenarios create a context where you can let go and be nurtured. When the tension softens, let all the reasons why disconnect as well and float away.  

The pandemic experience has given you an opportunity to spend some time with yourself. Your particular emotional and physical holding patterns have often been front and center. Instead of emerging from the COVID cocoon and proceeding with business as usual, why not embrace this transitional moment to do some personal healing?

Owning the tension and fatigue is a good place to start. Being proactive and doing something is a good way to get things moving. Being mindful will help you keep it moving and move on. When you do this, you can feel the positive results. Just as smiling affects your mood, a spring in your step changes the tone from downbeat to upbeat every time. Your unencumbered moving, breathing body helps you get in the flow. And, when you’re in the flow, your emotional body isn’t side-tracking your attention and you have access to creative inspiration. 

We’ve all handled this past year in our own personal way. The way I coped, hunkered down, and philosophically negotiated the stress felt strange and familiar at the same time. The worries and fears that disturbed me in the middle of the night were reflections of worries and fears I’ve felt in the past. But I’ve also felt pulled into a universal journey that I’d never known before. 

Stuck in the same existential caldron, the intensity of this past year has been shared by every single person on Planet Earth. Because of the pandemic’s viral nature, the only way we can really move on is if we all move on together. Without a doubt, this is a healing moment of global significance. Think about these questions:

• Instead of trying to go back and recreate the way things were, what if we used this opportunity to change the program?

• When restrictions and limitations no longer cloud our vision, what if we invited an enlightened perspective to guide the way?

• What if we directed our creative energies toward rational, science-based choices that help rather than harm?

Imagine moving on as one rather than a bunch of others to address all our existential problems together. Such a vision engenders hope, and this is certainly good for the emotional body.