If you've been through any kind of loss, perhaps a divorce, death or loss of a job, the pandemic right now may feel slightly familiar to you. For me, when the shock and disbelief of COVID-19 hit, I went straight back into survival mode - fight or flight. I've been here before, had my world rocked to the core.
I immediately began asking myself, "how am I going to make this new reality work? What needs to be done? Can I do this?"
If you're experiencing loss for the first time, your emotions will be wreaking havoc. Rest assured. This confusion is completely natural.
This is grief. It's a shock to the system, but different for everyone, in varying degrees. It may be sorrow from losing a loved one; sadness for what's happening around us; frustration over the loss of freedom; or even the most primitive emotion - fear - for what the future holds.
I don't care what gender you are, what your sexual preference is, where you live, what your age or cultural background is. The experience of loss is universal. It's strange because my heart actually aches again, like it did years ago for myself and my family. But I know from experience that as humans, we are tough. We have the ability to persevere, learn and adapt.
The difference is what you make of it. Do you just survive? Or can you grow from this?
Can you turn adversity into a new personal power?
Can you thrive?
I say YES.
But there are growth phases you'll have to go through and lots of lessons to learn. It doesn't happen instantly. There's work to be done.
