All over the world, people are getting back to the things that have been left behind for two or more years. Re-Entry Anxiety and New-Variant Worry (I just made this term up) aside, there is a sense of excitement and enthusiasm about re-connecting with all the things we have missed. To be able to experience people in 3D rather than through a screen is a luxury I don’t think any of us will ever take for granted again.
But/And as much as we want to return to the things we value and appreciate, we are understandably resistant to the idea of returning to things that didn’t work so well for us.
We are looking forward to spending time with some of our friends/family members/colleagues, but not all of them.
We are excited to be back in the office, but not so thrilled about having to get dressed in real clothes on the days we go to the office.
We are happy we can travel to far-flung destinations but aren’t too keen on what it will take to get there.
Most of us have some ambivalence about the Great Return.
But what if we were to see this period as an opportunity to ease into a more satisfying way of being? Instead of dreading a return to whatever we have had a respite from, how about modifying the things that made us miserable in the olden days?
Let us make an effort to restart as we mean to go on – by taking what worked for us during the last two years and applying it to the next few.
What did you appreciate about your interactions with family and friends?
What aspects of working from home worked for you?
What did you love about how you managed your health?
What are you most excited about returning to?
I am beyond thrilled (and more than a little anxious that I am tempting fate just thinking, let alone writing about it) to be doing real, live, in-person workshops again. I am loving the ‘live’ events I am doing with clients and look forward to hosting a Make Work Work For You workshop on Sunday 24 April (also available as an email programme; see below for more details).
I’d love to hear what your Great Return plans are.
If there is one thing we know for sure, it is that we must take opportunities when they arise, enjoy them while we can, and make the best of the challenges that come our way.
Keep marching forward,
Judy xx