What the Quarantine can Teach Us on our Personal Growth Journey
It’s been well over a month since the announcement of COVID-19 being a GLOBAL PANDEMIC and we have all been experiencing massive changes in our own ways. This may come as a shock to you, just as we all experienced shock over the last few months, BUT I believe that this quarantine can TEACH US on our personal growth journeys. Fear, worry, doubt, stress & anxiety are just the tipping point of emotions most of us have experienced on a DAILY BASIS and I believe that there is MEANING behind this entire situation. Today I will share 9 different life lessons that we can learn from this quarantine-period, but first we need to decide to prepare ourselves to be in a position to grow.
As with every moment in life we have the choice to either (A) see the meaning and decide to grow or (B) resist the changes and stay stuck in fear, worry, doubt & stress. Now, looking at these 2 choices you may say, well of course I’d take (A) and yet often the majority of us actually lean into option (B).
WHY IS THIS? Why is (B) the more popular option?
It may sound crazy and you might want to disagree with me, but (B) is actually the EASIER option! Yup, that’s right. It is easier to resist change and stay stuck in negative emotions like worry, fear, doubt and stress. Yet, we don’t actually enjoy this place so why wouldn’t we choose option (A).
In order to see the meaning and decide to grow in any moment it takes WORK. We have to be willing to open ourselves up to looking at the situation from a different perspective, we have to put our limiting beliefs to the side, we have to admit that our fears & worries might be wrong, and we have to lean into TRUST in the unknown.
In the end option (A) creates a life that is much more enjoyable, and yet it can take us a while to put the work in because the fear and worry weighs us down and holds us back.
This is YOUR Personal Growth Journey
Opening yourself up to growing and choosing to do the hard work is just the start of your personal growth journey. I am constantly sharing tips, wisdom, guidance & strategies around personal growth with the focus on mental & spiritual wellness.
If you are on your growth journey and looking for more information then check out the Personal Growth & Wellness Blog where you can learn more on this topic.
If you are ready to dive deeper into your growth journey and are looking for personalized guidance & strategies for your life then know you are not alone. I offer one on one mentoring calls where we focus on your specific needs in this moment. Solo Sessions offer a quick 60-90 minute call filled with strategies and tools to put you on the next level of your personal growth. Meanwhile the 1:1 Monthly Mentoring focuses on more in-depth guidance and wisdom for your growth journey.
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Now that I’ve uncovered what holds us back from learning the lessons in each individual situation let’s uncover some of the lessons that this current period of life is trying to teach us. Ultimately, that is what PERSONAL GROWTH is all about. Uncovering the lessons through each phase of life so you can continue to grow and become better.
So, here it is, my list of lessons that the quarantine can teach us on our Personal Growth Journey. You’ll notice that among this list there are mental health & spiritual health lessons that focus on emotional intelligence, self-awareness, mindset shifts, healing from the past and so much more.
Please use these lessons in your own life so you can continue to grow on your own self-healing path.
#1 GRIEF IS OK & NECESSARY
As I mentioned earlier in this post, we are all moving through this period in our own way AND THAT IS OKAY.
We are all grieving different things: the loss of family members & friends; the loss of an event (i.e. weddings, graduations, ceremonies etc.); the loss of a job; the loss of an education; the loss of a dream; and even the loss of a relationship.
If you don’t properly grieve your particular loss then it can become really difficult to fully move forward. Just because your grief is different from the next person does not mean that it’s not necessary.
Allow yourself to grieve, and know that it’s okay to grieve in your own way.
#2 SOCIAL DISTANCING IS NEEDED AT TIMES
When our lives are go-go-go we never have a moment to stop and reflect. What has social distancing reminded me of? That taking a step back from an over-scheduled life gives us time to really think about the hard stuff. When we reflect on the hard stuff we can really uncover where growth is required in our lives.
What do I mean by this?
Ask yourself questions like: who am I; am I showing up as the person I desire to be; am I following my passions; and am I happy on a daily basis.
We know that our muscles need rest when we workout, so why wouldn’t our mind need rest from being filled with the hamster wheel of thoughts?
Give yourself a break. Take a rest. Meditate. Then when you are ready ask yourself those deep questions because that is how you are going to create the greatest changes in your life.
Remember, it’s all about being the best version of yourself, so show up as her.
#3 WE GO THROUGH PHASES
I love this lesson because it is a constant reminder that in life there are good moments, great moments and difficult moments. Each phase will always pass and move onto the next phase.
So honour the good, lean into your strengths in the difficult and trust that you’ll always make it through.
Remember, just as there are seasons of the year, spring, summer, fall, winter, you experience phases/seasons in your life too. This is a phase that we will get through, so trust in that.
#4 GRATITUDE IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT
As I mentioned earlier we can often get stuck in the fear, worry, doubt & stress, and you know what ALWAYS helps you get out of those limiting beliefs? GRATITUDE!
In the difficult moments of life we need gratitude to remind us of the good we have & the good we’ve experienced. Gratitude lifts our spirits and lets the light flow into our lives.
Gratitude is always important!
#5 REFLECT ON WHAT WORKS & WHAT DOESN’T
Similar to the lesson that social distancing is needed at times, this quarantine is a great time to reflect on your life. We were pushed out of our regular routines and what consisted as “normal life”, and now we are living in a brand new way. A lot of us might be wishing and waiting for that moment we get to go back to normal, but before we jump back to life as we knew it we should reflect.
Reflect on what works for you and what doesn’t serve you. By taking time to recognize this you can show up better for yourself. Now is the perfect time to start actively making those changes to the limiting beliefs and behaviours that do not serve you.
Remember, this is your personal growth journey and only you can decide what is best for you. Take your time, don’t feel pressured into doing anything that doesn’t feel right. But know that there are always things that can be changed in order to continue to grow into your best self.
#6 MASSIVE CHANGE IS NEEDED TO SHAKE THINGS UP SOMETIMES
Woah! Did I just say that?
I truly believe that often in life we get stuck in the “normal” of our day-to-day sh*t. We EASILY make excuses as to why we don’t have time for something, or it’s too hard to let go of a bad habit, or we will pursue our dreams in X amount of time when we have X amount of money saved up.
EXCUSES - EXCUSES - EXCUSES
The only way to actually push past these excuses is for something BIG to happen in our lives to force us to make said changes. Personally for me, it was my mental breakdown 2 and a half years ago. Right now this GLOBAL CHANGE is literally shaking things up, and you have a choice to either sit there and let it happen to you, or to decide that it is happening for you.
Remember, you always have a choice on how you decide to move forward. You may not be able to control what’s happening around you, but you get to control how you respond to it. Allow this massive change to shake things up in your life for the better.
#7 LIFE IS EASIER & BETTER AS A COMMUNITY
As human beings we are not meant to live alone, we are stronger, wiser, more capable, and have greater effect when we do things as a community. Despite the fact that we are physical distancing as a community, we are making choices for the better of the community.
When we are struggling in life if we choose to move through the struggles alone it can be hard, yet when we lean on our community we feel supported and loved.
Life is easier & better as a community. So now is a great time to reach out to your community and let them know that you are there if anyone needs to talk. Maybe you are inspired to join a new community filled with like-minded souls because you are finally ready to receive support in a particular area of your life.
As always, serve your community and be open to receiving love & support back from the community.
#8 THINGS DON’T CREATE HAPPINESS, MOMENTS CREATE HAPPINESS
Throughout the quarantine we are very limited with what we can buy as we can’t go to physical stores. Also, with the effects on the economy, people are spending less and doing what they can to save. So, this is the perfect time to REMIND OURSELVES that items, physical things, do not create happiness in our lives.
It’s the moments we experience that create happiness, the people we share these moments with, the gratitude we have for these moments. Now is the time to remind yourself how you can create happiness in your life by experiencing a moment, rather than putting happiness on an inanimate object.
#9 YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU REALIZE
Arguably one of the most important lessons to learn right now is that you are stronger than you realize. The more you can remind yourself of this the easier it will become to get through anything in life.
Of course these are unprecedented times, but if you reflect back on your life and all the other difficult moments you’ve experienced you will see that you didn’t know how you would get through that phase, and you did! You are here now, so you have successfully made it through every hard phase in life.
Your strength leads you in these difficult phases and you always prove to yourself that you’re stronger than you ever realized.
Remember your strength and that it will help you make it through this phase of life.
These are just some of the lessons I believe we can learn from the quarantine. If you have any lessons that you’ve learned in this time that I haven’t shared I’d love to hear them. Leave a comment below and let me know!
If these lessons have poured light into an area of your life that was once filled with darkness then please write these lessons down and remind yourself of them often. If you think a family member or friend would enjoy these lessons as well, then please share away!
As always, I am sending you love & light on your personal growth journey!