Az INTERNATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK kapcsán írtam egy bejegyzést angolul.
#aktuális #covid #afterlife
Back to normal
Here in Budapest, the Government lightened the restrictions since Monday. The rural area preceded the capital with two weeks. I hear it from more and more sides from, that „Wow, so cool, even if in small steps, we can go back to our ‘normal’ lifestyle.” Finally. Or not? One or two brave and self-conscious people in my network admit it loudly, that they don’t even think of going back to that state. They’ve learned so many good things during this period. Time-management, conformation, slowing-down, focusing, multitasking, self-calming methods… Everyone something else. Yet, there are shadows too, but I don’t want to write about them now. Others do it anyway. 😊
To go back to the old normal… it is a much more interesting and challenging question, how can we build a new normal for ourselves?
Our habits
It’s said that it takes 21 days to build a new habit, and it even becomes a routine in 40 days. 2 months quarantine we had in Hungary (but it applies to anywhere), anyway I count gives enough space to it, even if I deduct the 2 first weeks of shock-phase.
But are we willing to invest this much time for building a new good habit? If it’s not a need. If we are not forced by the situation and circumstances. Barely. At least, based on the success of new year vows, most of them fail in January or eventually in February. 90% of them.
What about change?
We are coded psychologically to avoid change. To be scared, or at least being sceptic toward it. Usually, we are good with change – nay! often supporting it loudly – until it’s about others. As soon as we are involved in it personally, the situation is not so attractive anymore. Resistance heads up. It’s a general survival instinct. However, conformation also, as we were able to survive this way through a lot of centuries.
How is it possible then to build a new normal? Because it’s not about anything else, but we are actually taking responsibility for change. We can do it in any life situation – however, this one obviously gives a good reason for that. Dare to take responsibility then! Stepping out of the ordinary – or in this case more likely not to step back.
Giving time on reflection
We should sit down in calm circumstances, give time to ourselves to think and reflect. To the past few months. What can I learn personally from it? What can I learn by my own experiencing, by my feelings? What can I learn from the changed interactions with my environment? How did I change during this period? What habits have been built in my everydays during this time? A lot of people started doing regular activities at home, thanks to the free video training plans. Lot of them were complaining before: „How much I would need it, I would like to do, but it doesn’t fit into my schedule”. Now they can somehow manage – against that it is not sure at all that we had more free time during these days. Or also to raise questions like, how our view about the world has changed?
We should focus on positive sides, but of course not ignore negatives. This period was such a big turn in most people’s lives, that completely different habits could be grown. Definitely worth to reflect on it.
Besides this period is good also to revalue what we had before. To be more grateful, as we often forgot to be. If there is something (and I’m sure there is), which we feel about if only we would esteem it much more when we had the chance… now it is the time to do so and build them back into our life.
So then combining this two, focusing on the positives, we can reach a higher quality lifestyle – we just need to allocate time for reflection and to take responsibility for the changes we need. 👏
* for another blog post in English click here
