Lockdown has exhausted us. Can we dare to hope?
Yes, we can and should dare to hope. But we should do it by understanding what 2020 has brought us and plan for a better future for ourselves.
Hope is one of the most important emotions for human survival. It gives meaning to so many things that we do and engage in. Starting new relationships, a new career, buying a new home, etc. Changes are often driven by hope, even divorce.
The pandemic
The Coronavirus pandemic has changed life and society as we knew it. 2020 has been a year of anxiety as we were forced out of our comfort zones. Life as we knew it changed and we found ourselves in a new norm where we were forced into an existential crisis.
Do we dare to see hope now that the news of the vaccine has been announced?
Lost our bearings
Simple things that we took for granted have been taken away from us – meeting friends, going on holidays, or going shopping. It has left us feeling vulnerable, frightened and under threat. Our mortality challenged. The second lockdown has also come with the cold and wet weather, shorter days, and a Christmas that looks like none other we have might have experienced.
How we have coped
For some, this has come as a challenge with confined spaces and merging of home and work life. Time has slowed down for some and the last few months have felt like Groundhog day. Cramped living spaces with the abundance of time has led to an inability to get away or get a break.
For others, this has come as a blessing. The ability to work from home has been welcomed and has brought about a better work/life balance to their lives. The lack of social pressures and more time to just be. To read a book, clean that wardrobe that you have been putting off or a hobby that you wanted to develop.
Relationships during the pandemic
Relationships, along with other things, have seen turbulent times. Some couples and families have come together and found new ways of spending time together and communicating whilst others have suffered from the surfacing of hidden anxieties and fears. Domestic abuse calls went up with one call being made every 30 seconds.
Finding hope
Hope is not blind optimism and baseless faith in things getting better despite mounting evidence to the contrary. Nor is it wishful thinking for things to go well. Like wishing that it will not rain today.
Hope is about acknowledging what the pandemic has meant and planning a new future. About working through the things we have discovered about ourselves, integrating it into our lives and emerging stronger, more resilient and with a better sense of appreciation for the things we took for granted.
If you are struggling to find hope then get in touch and through hope counselling we can help you find a better version of yourself. I have a practice in Central London and in Hampton where I can help you find hope.