ARE YOU FEELING OVERWHELMED BY YOUR LOCKDOWN GOALS?

We’ve all heard of FOMO right? Fear Of Missing Out - the fear or pressure we feel when we’re not making it to every social engagement or opportunity out there. This period of Lock Down has inspired me to coin a new acronym -  FOWO - Fear of Wasted Opportunity.

During this lockdown period, there’s been a lot of media airspace given to how we should all be making the most of this opportunity, to do all the things we never usually get time to do: write the book or play we’ve been meaning to write; read the hefty literary tome we’ve never got round to reading; learn the language or instrument; cook the complicated dish with ingredients we can’t get hold of; attend digital marketing/ how to make your own podcast courses; learn how to sew/ do yoga/ ballet/ ballroom dance. Parents posting on social media the timetables they’ve devised for their kids, chock full of creative activities or sending round schedules of “free” online lessons hosted by celebrities (as long as you join their YouTube channels). And this is between all the volunteering we should be doing if we’re selfless, community-minded folk. 

But haven’t we all forgotten why we’re in self isolation in the first place? There’s this horrible virus going around which is killing many of us, and those who experience non-life threatening symptoms still frequently feel terribly ill for a while. Pile on top of this, all the financial worry of either not being able to earn an income during this period (5% at the very least of all self employed); or having to get by on a significantly reduced income and surely the last thing any of us need is to feel more pressure that along with trying to find new ways to feed our families, we’re wasting this “once in a lifetime” opportunity to be productive. 

Of course, if you ARE fortunate enough to be fit and healthy and are not caring for vulnerable/ sick dependents or burdened by financial worry, this period of lock down - free from some of the constraints of normal life - could feel like the ideal time to do all those things you’ve always wanted to do. But try to relish it. Don’t put yourself under pressure. Use this unique opportunity as a springboard to getting started, not as a time limited window - miss it and it’s gone forever. This should be a time when we take our foot of the gas; take care of ourselves and not feel the need to be productive. This should be a time where we can slow down, notice nature; notice our breathing; hear the birds tweeting rather than our phones and practice daily gratitude.

Once “normal” life resumes there will doubtless be challenges we will all have to face. Wouldn’t it be great if we can face them calmly and philosophically because of all the meditation, mindfulness and gratitude we’ve practiced during this period? 

But a word of caution: Meditation, mindfulness and gratitude are skills which improve with practice. So start when you feel ready and relax into the present. Build gradually - a little at a time every day and you will notice the difference. The one gift Covid Lockdown has given us is time so the last thing any of us should feel is fear of wasting this opportunity!