Stepping out of Isolation With Balance and Grace... and honoring yourself
This pandemic has been a unique experience that we have shared on a global scale, however, each individual's experience has been unique on a very personal level. This past year of self-isolation, shelter-in-place, and social distancing has removed us from our daily routines, relationships, physical contact, and the communities that support and sustain us in the different aspects of our lives.
With the vaccine becoming more wildly available and businesses, school, travel, recreation, and the like reopening and returning back into a physical space we find ourselves transitioning and readjusting yet again.
Although we are excited and relieved to see each other and to be able to enjoy dining out, group activities, getting massages, haircuts, and go shopping again, we may not realize the challenges that come with reintegration. Returning back to shaking hands, hugging, and sitting next to a stranger on the bus or a park bench can easily provoke a stress reaction in the body which has very real emotional, psychological, and physical impacts. Many of us have gained weight from being at home, less active, and from emotional eating. We may feel self-conscious, shame, or embarrassed. We may not want to run into acquaintances we have not seen in over a year because we do not feel good about the way we look.
Also, the isolation we have been experiencing is not unlike being in a retreat. We have been going inward for many months and willing or not, that changes who we are on some level. It can be challenging returning to a world that is used to interacting with who we once were and not fully knowing who we are now or who we are becoming.
Experiencing anxiety over being back in society is common, even with many of the precautions still in place. For one, we may not feel 100% confident that we are safe.
So...how can we reintegrate back into our daily living and how does Ayurveda support us with our relationships with ourselves, our families, and our communities?
With the vaccine becoming more wildly available and businesses, school, travel, recreation, and the like reopening and returning back into a physical space we find ourselves transitioning and readjusting yet again.
Although we are excited and relieved to see each other and to be able to enjoy dining out, group activities, getting massages, haircuts, and go shopping again, we may not realize the challenges that come with reintegration. Returning back to shaking hands, hugging, and sitting next to a stranger on the bus or a park bench can easily provoke a stress reaction in the body which has very real emotional, psychological, and physical impacts. Many of us have gained weight from being at home, less active, and from emotional eating. We may feel self-conscious, shame, or embarrassed. We may not want to run into acquaintances we have not seen in over a year because we do not feel good about the way we look.
Also, the isolation we have been experiencing is not unlike being in a retreat. We have been going inward for many months and willing or not, that changes who we are on some level. It can be challenging returning to a world that is used to interacting with who we once were and not fully knowing who we are now or who we are becoming.
Experiencing anxiety over being back in society is common, even with many of the precautions still in place. For one, we may not feel 100% confident that we are safe.
So...how can we reintegrate back into our daily living and how does Ayurveda support us with our relationships with ourselves, our families, and our communities?
