At the end of this week it’s the Spring equinox. Of all the seasonal markers I’ve chosen to make part of my own rhythm and ritual this one feels most significant. It’s a quiet moment – not flashy like midsummer, nor darkly brooding like midwinter – in fact it’s most likely to be grey and dreary. But it offers me proof of hope: the light has returned and tomorrow the light will be winning, filling up more of our days, drawing us into the warmth and ease of summer. It’s a time when I know I can release the winter, I can allow my energy to flow out of me a little more, rather than holding it so tightly.
This year the equinox brings me even more solace in a season of so much anger, pain and disappointment with the world. Winter has been tough. This month has been tough. And when I’m tempted to let my seasonal practices of reflection and review slide, as I give way to the despair, I know I need it even more. I need to pause on this day of balance between light and dark to notice and acknowledge the light and dark within me, to work out how I feel about it and consider if shifts need to be made. So much of this practice, for me, has become about noticing and accepting. Not struggling to change things or be better. Just to recognise that I am not a small boat tossed on the stormy seas, I am a sailing yacht equipped with so many useful things to help me harness those winds.
This seasonal shift also coincides with the anniversary of the first Covid lockdown in the UK, and I feel drawn to reflecting on that huge shift in life too. My experience of the last year has felt like one of constant reflection and emotional labour. Each day brought new things to deal with, new information, new events, and I felt like I was updating my world view and self-knowledge in real time. It’s partly the reason I didn’t feel the need for a big review in the new year, but now in the Spring, as I feel myself coming back to life slowly, I can see that it’s time to face the last year and recognise just what went on. To realise how much I’ve changed and how I want to be going forward into the new normality we must create together.
If you’d like to pause to reflect on how the last year has affected you, I’ve written some prompts to support that. Be mindful of when and where you’d like to do this thinking – protect yourself mentally and physically in a space of comfort and safety – there is no need for this work to happen now.
Reflecting on the past year
Here are some questions to prompt your reflection on your experiences since Covid began a year ago. And I must qualify these questions – there is no reason why this time should have been any of these things for you. Your experience is yours, it’s valid and it’s real. So, whatever you felt in the last 12 months, whatever ‘good’ or ‘bad’ looks like to you, please know that there is no judgement here and no expectations. If any of these questions are triggering or feel irrelevant, please don’t give them a second thought.
What have been the greatest challenges for you since last March?
What did you learn/discover about yourself and your practice during this time?
What are you proud to have achieved, overcome, survived?
Where did you find joy, peace or contentment?
What were the positives, for you, of your lockdown/Covid experiences?
How are you feeling now, after a year of living in a pandemic?
How would you like to feel in the months ahead?
And, if you find yourself feeling that now would be a good time to take another look at your intentions, plans or goals for the year ahead, might I recommend my new year course Reimagine 2021. Although created in January, its prompts and framework apply all year round and might offer some new ways of approaching your planning that are rooted in honouring your needs and priorities now. Pop over to podia for more information and to start.