With our human need for safety, accepting that nothing stays the same, is even harder in a world changing pandemic.
This is a theme that I am coming across more and more. Now that people are getting vaccinated and there is a new future ahead, the question is “what it will be like?”.
Firstly, I would answer that nothing really stays the same anyway. We are constantly progressing, moving and evolving though not as dramatically as we have experienced in 2020 and 2021. As humans we have a strongly hardwired program for safety. However, what now constitutes safety may feel fairly outdated as we move forward.
Rather than looking at “will it ever be the same?” perhaps it is more about accepting that ambivalence is a natural part of the process of going forward. Are we not bound to be in a state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about the future?
Secondly, we may feel that we are living between two worlds. The first is one that is still being controlled by Covid. The other one is thinking about what it is going to be like when we are past Covid. The media inevitably are continually speaking about this.
Thirdly, the swinging back and forth with of how one feels and how one thinks is normal. It is bound to create some emotional upheaval.
Lastly, keep being imaginative in fantasising how one would like or desire life to be going forward. There has been so much creativity during this time which has been fantastic to see. Believe it or not, this can work alongside doubts and frustrations. Our imaginations can be a much needed saving grace at times of ambivalence. Furthermore, this is something that cannot be taken away or controlled.