It’s a great time to be a brain scientist. Despite the many physical and emotional challenges we are all facing right now, we are also getting front row tickets with backstage passes to the most fascinating show of our times.
I realize the word "show" carries a lot of connotations and may stir up some uncomfortable feelings related to who may be playing various roles. And I encourage you to just notice the sensations you feel and breathe into them, like waves of helpful information that will propel you forward once you learn how to use them in a more productive way.
Please be patient with me as we unpack this idea together to see what it may have in store for us individually and collectively. After all, many great theatrical performances and hit songs have evolved from real-world experiences. In fact, I can’t think of a single hero's journey we would take time to notice let alone celebrate if they weren’t fraught with challenges and adversaries.
So my question to myself and to you is what role do we want to play in the ongoing narrative of today? Knowing we will no doubt look back on this experience someday soon for lessons learned and best practices.
How would you want your character to evolve throughout the story of COVID-19?
As we ponder together what this could mean for our immediate and distant future, I want to invite you into an ongoing conversation so that we can co-create the story we all share.
For this first experiment, imagine you’ve been asked to create your own character for a post-COVID-19 celebration story. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, maybe do a quick brain recharge session or take your brain to the beach for a few minutes to relax your body and recharge your mind (see my free Recharge Toolkit here for some guided experiences).
Then, grab a piece of paper and just allow yourself to write. Without judgment, without criticism, allow your stream of consciousness thoughts to begin to fill the page. They don’t need to be poetic, insightful, or even full sentences. Write down bullet points, phrases, or simple words that describe the characteristics you’d want to be able to demonstrate in your own COVID-19 journey.
If you are willing, please share them with me by commenting in the section below. And I’ll be back soon to share the ideas I’m gathering and offer a next step in this creative reflection process so that we can use our shared experiences and insights together to fuel positive change.
As a reminder, we will be hosting the fourth annual Global Stress Summit next week.
We will have both live and recorded sessions, and all participants will have access to all recordings throughout the year absolutely free. So please sign up right away to receive the live agenda for sessions starting April 15. I look forward to seeing you there.
With lots of love and healthy humor - Heidi