Well then, don’t we have a boatload of blessings coming our way…

It is possible, the blessings. But amid this massive-scale disruption in our lives, how does that happen? It certainly is madness: isolation, no boundaries between work and home, wear a mask, don’t wear a mask, vaccinate and wear a mask, no hugs, no ceremonies, no celebrations, no festivals, fear, fear, fear…

Enough! We need a serious time-out. It doesn’t take days or weeks, but just a time-out from the running, running, running from one thing to the next, keeping 12 balls in the air trying not to drop any of them, staying up too late to get things done, working long hours because you can’t leave the office, because it‘s at home, too much “screen” time… That is an energy suck if there ever was one.

Anyone out there exhausted? You are so not alone. Our big world is out of control, so of course, our individual worlds suffer as well. Even those who are resilient and practice resilience are seriously challenged.

My dope? Confession: You tube’s Hope for Paws animal rescue. ALWAYS a happy ending! The best part is watching the rescued animals get bathed. I swear, it’s not the vets that save them with medicine, but the rescuers, the foster homes, and the ultimate forever home. It is love that saves them. The transformation from sick, scraggly, mangy, flea infested street animal, to playful, content home pet just melts my heart. And it is too much screen time. Boundaries Lisa.

It is exhausting, living in fear and/or a highly anxious state. The biochemicals that increase to put you in an alert state so that you can flee or fight, are not meant to flow continuously. That high cortisol is catabolic. It has a breaking down function as opposed to anabolic, which builds up. It exhausts your energetic resources.

You know how, when you sign up for something, and then it becomes a monthly debit to your credit card, and you discover a few months later that you’ve been paying this fee every month that you didn’t realize and now you’re out a few hundred bucks that you could have used quite wisely on something of value? Our energy is like that.

Our energy is being syphoned by world events, politics, fear, work/home environmental adjustments, too much partner time, fear, not enough social time, fomo, what to cook that you haven’t had twenty times in the past month, send your child to school or not, mask or not, BBQ with neighbors or not, fear, mask or not? H-O-L-Y Cats! No wonder we are exhausted. Did I mention fear?

We all need to take a time-out and experiment with how to take better care of ourselves and our lives.

The focus of your attention defines the quality of your experience. Unknown Buddhist teacher.

The focus of your attention defines the quality of your experience. Unknown Buddhist teacher.

Yes, I meant to write that twice. Have you become more focused during this pandemic? more fragmented? Are you consciously choosing what gets your energy? Or is it being unknowingly syphoned like the money from your credit card? The pandemic has thrown everyone off balance, made us more vulnerable, excessively stressed. NOW is a good time to take inventory and choose things that energize and plug the leaks.

Start today. Be extraordinarily conscious of your behavior and activities.

• How do I start my day?
• What is my plan for the day, my intentions?
• What are my top priorities (for example)?
  • Health
  • Family
  • Relationships
  • Spirit
  • Intellect
  • Joy, passion, fun
  • Work
• What is getting my time/energy that does not nourish my priorities?

This is just a start. Like a food journal, it’s hard to know what corrections to make if you do not know where you’re starting from. So, notice: How am I spending my time/energy every day? Where is my energy being syphoned? What feeds and nourishes me?

Once you identify your priorities and energy leaks, then you can make changes that do nourish and energize your life (next article). It would be useful for your partner to do this as well. Then compare and negotiate. Hmmmmm?

There’s no time to wait for new year’s eve to do this inventory and make the soon-forgotten resolutions. Today. Pause. Review. Notice. What is most important to me right now? Let’s do that. What is sucking my energy? Let’s stop that.

This could be the blessing in disguise of a pandemic. It requires attention, intention and action.