‘The days are long but the years are short’
It’s an often quoted truth that sometimes, although days seem to go on forever and to drag, when we look back over weeks, months or years we find they are whizzing past at an alarming pace. Many parents will tell you this of raising children for example.
It seems a common experience through the lockdown. For some people, there are hours and hours that would not normally be empty, seeming yawning gaps that can be hard to somehow fill. And yet, each week seems to flash by, and we are left wondering where it went and what it was we did with it.
So what to do? Time is a very subjective concept, we all experience it differently, and we all have different preferences for how we spend and fill it. Being aware of your natural rhythms and pace, and your preferences for unplanned space and/or structure and activity is very useful. Now, with so much feeling unusual, you may have the time and space to explore how you experience time, to stretch yourself and try different things. Or, you may want to be aware of your preferences and play to them to help yourself feel regulated and able to cope with what may be a very challenging time. Or, a bit of both.
Gentle, flexible structure, with a flow of activity at a sustainable pace somehow seems congruent for me at the moment. Not too much, not too little. Few expectations, and a pleasure in what unfolds, where possible.
How are you experiencing time? And what would you like to have happen now?
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