What a Difference a Week Makes
Hi, I'm Liz Moser, and I’m a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach. A week ago, I was going to name this post:
What do you look forward to?
In that post, I inquired, ‘what do you look forward to?’ and explored how the evolution of ‘what we look forward to?’ reflects our learning and growth, and our discovery of our most whole selves.
But now, a week later, whether you’re maintaining social distancing or self-shuttering at home, our first response to the question of ‘what do you look forward to?’, is hands down the health and safety of our friends, family and all human beings on the planet.
This week my health and the health and safety of my family and friends is front and center but a mere week ago:
I was at my local gem of a yoga meditation studio called the Whispering Cave. I arrived early for my yoga nidra class, and as I was settling into my savasana pose, another woman entered the salt cave and started to situate herself.
We introduced ourselves, started to chat, and then out of the blue, I sighed and said, “I’ve been looking forward to this all day long!”
She wholeheartedly agreed, we chatted a bit more and then settled into blissful silence, waiting for the teacher to turn on the salt therapy system and begin guiding us in a 45-minute meditation.
As I drifted in my bliss, I thought:
‘It's 5 pm. I spent the whole day looking forward to a guided meditation as opposed to a happy hour at a bar!’ Ha!
And then:
THIS is my new happy hour! How cool is that!
Last week, I was peacefully waiting to be transported to a tranquil meditative state, and this week I'm concerned about the spread of a virus.
What a difference a week makes.
As the adage goes, the only constant in life is change, and I am oh so grateful that most of the time my safety is a given which allows me the opportunity to pursue such thoughts as:
Wow! I'm now looking forward to meditation in a salt cave with like-minded yogis instead of Happy Hour at a bar. Hmm, I'm looking forward to an activity that promotes my mental, physical, and spiritual health. How nice is that!
Do you remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs from your psych 101 class?
The Hierarchy of Needs shows the general progression of pursuits for people once survival and comfort are assured into the creative, the intellectual, or the spiritual.
Or, no self-actualization or musings on, ‘What do I look forward to?’ until our basic biological requirements for human survival are met. In that sense, it's a luxury to have the space, time, and energy for self-reflection, for personal growth.
Ok, as of this moment I'm fine, my friends and loved ones are fine, and I hope you and yours are as safe as you can be.
Now that I’ve taken that inventory, I can say that I’m looking forward to the online ZOOM yoga nidra class tomorrow at 4:30 pm. I'll be here in my sunroom instead of in the presence of the other meditators and without the myriad positive physical effects of the salt environment.
Despite what I'm missing out on, I'm still looking forward to it. Right, the only constant in life is change. No meditation community, no salt environment, but my yoga teacher will be with me through the power of the internet. And I’m looking forward to it. Who knows, maybe I’ll get the bonus of my guy joining me. That's a stretch, but maybe!
First things first, maintain your safety and check on the health and safety of your friend’s family and neighbors. Right, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
And then, once you recognize that here and now at this moment you’re safe and currently you have all your physical needs met, I invite you to embrace the joys in life that are available to you. Those activities you look forward to maybe in a slightly altered form than a week ago, right, I'm going to be meditating here instead of in the salt cave.
Still, with some creativity and ingenuity, those activities that bring you joy and peace can continue in some form.
We need restorative activities in our lives, activities that we look forward to, more-so now in these disquieting times than ever. I hope that while you are maintaining your health and safety, what you look forward to brings you closer to peace, joy, and your most actualized self.
I’m Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach, thanks for watching this video, and my deepest desire is that that you and your loved ones are healthy, safe, and secure. If you have any questions about this video, or if you have any questions about health and wellness or wellness coaching with me, please contact me through my website at lizmosercoaching.com
Bye for now! Liz
