These past several weeks I have become fascinated by the array of information that we all need to keep up with while navigating this pandemic experience. There is not one person I work with as a clinician that does not have frustration over what and who to believe. From the spectrum of conservative, moderate or extreme if you know where to look you can find information that speaks to these perspectives and they are truly not saying the same things! Across the spectrum there is no universal agreement about what to do and how to move on with your life and your family's. Now that the fears of covid19 have settled into our collective conscious how do we process the next phase? That next phase seems to be not waiting for covid19 to end but how to live with it as part of our day to day life. In my work with others (and my thoughts I share with family and friends) I seem to to find the most comfort in keeping with the idea of finding your "true north". That is because what feels like a comfortable and safe set of practices for myself will NOT be the same for another. And , the level and depth of safety your need live day by day depends on what you believe to be true on any given day. It is also about what is mixed and mired into your history and your relationship in general with fearful experiences. By this I mean how you decipher and live with fear and manage fear is a combination of how you have dealt with fear in the past and how much of that reactive pattern is being used to deal with what is happening for you today. right. now. All this is to say, in order to feel as safe as possible and in order to live in this pandemic era; one must compile a set of circumstances and information to follow which you wholeheartedly believe to be true. That will become your true north. Keep in mind you will need to find comfort in flexibility due to the shifts and nuances required as the landscape outside continues to shift and morph with new information and data. And when we are on a choppy waters its always wise to fixate on the horizon, some fact or notion that you believe to be true. But isn't that true for us with respect to any important life circumstance ( to greater or lesser degrees)? To clear a personal path for a decision we need to make and wish to follow, requires a look deep into ourselves, more than looking outward for the answers.
