We all seem to be living either in an episode of Black Mirror or in Alice’s topsy-turvy world nowadays. I feel different things on different days. I am guessing you do too.
Of course, the real fight is being fought on the frontlines by doctors, nurses, and scientists. But in the meanwhile, the rest of us who are fortunate enough to stay at home are going through this time in different ways.
Like everyone, I have had my moments of anxiety in the past few months. But there has been one silver lining: This experience has helped me re-value my adaptability.
In the past, there have been times when I could only see the weakness in being “too adaptable.” I was too go-with-the-flow, too responsive to whatever was happening at that moment. It meant that I was jumping and responding to things that were thrown at me, some of them not that important and not that urgent.
But the last few months have shown me the real value in being adaptable.
My adaptability has helped me be a lot more responsive during this time. It has helped me proactively find ways to both learn & connect with like-minded people. Physical distancing does not have to be actual social distancing. For example: I did an online workshop recently on writing opinion pieces where I met some really wonderful writers. I have also taken part in Zoom calls where I have done co-working and learned more about synchronicity and energy healing.
I have also really enjoyed doing the free listening sessions I have been offering. I talk about them here. They have opened up my world to some amazing writers and artists. Led by their enthusiasm, I have dipped deeper into the world of Japanese folktales, Native American folklore, and the rhythms of poetic language.
This time has scraped at some of my jadedness and showed me once again why stories are so important. Stories can hold us. When we are scattered and disorganized, they can organize us. When we feel down and depressed, they can create a cocoon to hold fragments of our self, which we can join piece by piece.
We can imagine ourselves inside their protective shells.
So, I have been feeling little flickers of light, little sparks of hope. Instead of getting deluged with waves of heart-breaking news, I have found these little islands to rest on.
And the credit goes, in a big way, to my adaptability.
My adaptability has helped me think about what I want this time to be. It has helped me shift and change. It has helped me stop, take a step back, and then start again. And connecting with it like this has taught me something interesting about being adaptable.
Being adaptable doesn’t mean just taking the path of least resistance.
Being adaptable doesn’t mean being unaware of what’s around you. It’s actually being more aware, so you can respond in the moment.
Let’s say, you are a writer who is feeling drained right now. Your kids are at home and you have to attend online school calls with them. You are not getting as much alone time as you need. You are exhausted by all the routine mundane household tasks that keep on building up.
If you are an adaptable person, having a real sense of what your resources are can help you respond better. Of course, there are real limitations here. But knowing what you do have available can be really helpful.
Maybe, your spouse is a very “acts of service” kind of person. If you ask them, they are more than happy to be with the kids over the weekend for a few hours while you go to a different room, put on your headphones, and write. Or if you are the kind of writer who needs total silence and you feel like you are not getting it, you can go to your car and write there. If you like external accountability, as I do, you can figure out some online co-working options with fellow writers or other kindred spirits.
If you are adaptable, you have a very real strength that is especially useful right now. And thinking about what your options are and what resources you have available will make you even more adaptable. So, think about them.
Write them down, whether it’s the online co-working sessions you have access to or a friend pops up into your mind who you can meet online to talk to or do some art with. This will help you navigate even better than you naturally can.
Please take good care. It’s okay to go slow. It’s also okay to accomplish things. Only YOU can decide what you need right now. So, be adaptable. Try new things. Shift and change as you need.
Chaos doesn’t faze people who are adaptable as much as it does others, so use that real natural strength! You could help not only yourself but others around you. Take care! With much love, Ritu.
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