The lockdown is a situation which changed our daily routines and habits; we observed that as fear began to reign, we started becoming introverts.
Our body perceives all of that; it shrinks and shuts down. Formless fears accumulate and gather around our body. CoViD-19 became an object which generates fear, a fear amply symbolised by the wearing of masks, the lack of touch and contact. The body needs to isolate itself and so does the soul, while we must deal with the change.
Sometimes, when we get scared, our body instinctively moves forward, in an attempt to protect its sensitive front. This is a natural protective reflex.
Yet, how many of us feel their body move in such a way? How many of us pay attention to these automated movements? How may understand that the body also participates in all our thoughts and feelings?
In this lockdown, we know that we are entering our home to stay there until it is over, and our activities will be limited for the duration. What a hard word lockdown is, and how sensitive our own body to it. It folds upon itself, locking itself down, stopping its own natural movements and functions, whatever they may be. Knowing that this is against its own needs, the body tends to become stiff, slow, unresponsive. It turns to food, as a means to relieve tension. There is a great gap between the body and the mind. Thoughts come and go all the time, while the body suffers as its organs get confused and do not understand what they must do; problems such as insomnia, backache and constipation appear. The situation turns into torture. There is a great difference between running or walking at the beach and going back and forth in a kitchen, opening the fridge to stuff one’s stomach with whatever can be found in there.
The lockdown and the manner of its implementation constitute a new, different reality. Wear your mask; keep your distance; don’t go out, unless absolutely necessary. It is different than before. Then there’s the question: what will happen after the quarantine? How will we go on? We find difficult to balance our emotions, which swing from up to down and back again.
Thoughts plague our minds. At the same time, the body curls up, shrinks down, gets fat and full of toxins. How hard is it to understand that all this leads to a direction which is against our nature and beyond our knowledge? We experience sadness. Our bodies reflect it. Strange feelings come forward, sadness, anxiety, anger, yearning, fear, deprivation. These produce introversion, short tempers and inner upheaval.
At this stage we must take control of our lives. We must not forget that life is about experiencing loss and overcoming it, focusing on the positives. The human condition, personal or collective, has its own protective mechanisms. The body must be strong through the difficulties of the lockdown. We need positive energy to create conditions which promote resilience. We must preserve a good physical and mental status so as to face the challenges of life.
Daily:
- Every day, walk a little and exercise lightly
- Stretch
- Breath well – deeply and properly
- Breath out by emptying our belly; refill it
- Eat right
- Gently massage the limbs and head.
- Do not lose yourself for any reason. Everything is there to help us evolve. Besides, how would life be without any difficulties? We concentrate on what we need and let that guide us.
We may seek relaxation through sessions of redefinition and repositioning of ourselves, in order to face the changes of our daily lives.
“Just remember that Dumbo the elephant did not need the feather. The magic was in him.” (Stephen King)
