Isolation is a perfect opportunity for self-reflection

People share different ideas about how to cope with lockdown and isolation. But it mostly focuses on exercises, things to learn, movies to watch. Basically ways to distract yourself, make your mind focus on something else, instead of accepting the situation and diving deep into it. That is only another way of filling up your mind with new things, instead of emptying it a bit. Running again, instead of stopping for a second. 

We have been living in a world of constant rush. You wake up for the alarm, rush with breakfast having a quick coffee, run to the office, quick chat with colleagues, then run for a meeting, from one meeting going to another, then take a quick lunch, but maybe have a working lunch or taking a bite at the computer to kill some emails that you couldn't attend to during the day, then continue with some more meetings, and work dinner, run home, take a quick bite, switch on the tv, have a quick shower and go to sleep. Just to continue running the next day the same way. Sounds familiar? Rush, rush, rush. Constantly on the go. No time to stop. And even when you stop, your mind is still on the go. It looks like never getting tired, always talking, always going. 

With being in lock-down, this constant rush is taken out of your reality. You are forced to stop. At least on the outside. You are not allowed to go out of your apartment. But did your mind stop? Or is it still on the go? Do you still have all the to-do-lists, schedules, fears that constantly occupy your mind? Maybe even during your sleep.  

You may use isolation to stop. Meditations are a great way to silence your mind. But when you are forced to stop, it is always a perfect opportunity to reflect. Take a closer look at where you are, what you do, what your choices were in life. I invite you to reflect about your life, your decisions in the past, where those lead you. Some reflection can lead to increased awareness of the self. One may also re-evaluate whether the decisions made years or decades ago are still valid, or some things should be changed. Are you aware of your values and principles? Were your decisions following those? 

Being in isolation, is a perfect time to stop and think about your life, your decisions. Self-reflection is such a powerful tool. You were forced to stop. Before we could move, look at your life, look at yourself. Reflect. See where you are. Only then will you be able to move on. And now you have all the time to look into yourself. Take it as a blessing in disguise, and use the opportunity for your benefit.