SIF Coronavirus/Covid-19 Care Correspondence
/Letter Number 5/April 12, 2020
Greetings Shift Into Fifth Community-
For those who observed Passover and Holy Week/Easter this past week, I hope your celebrations have been meaningful and restorative. I know they have been creative!
I'm thinking about you....ALL of you! My active clients and those whose lives I have been fortunate enough to touch in one way or another through this magnificent and eclectic Shift Into Fifth coaching community.
As we enter this 5th week of this challenging, surreal and unprecedented time vis a vis the Coronavirus/Covid-19, I want to once again touch base with each of you and continue to be a source of support and resources for you and your circles. While each day of this period has a strangely indistinguishable and repetitive quality to it (yup, think Bill Murray and the Groundhog Day movie), I want to remind you once again that so many of you have done and continue to do the hard work to cultivate and develop the inner tools to stay calm, centered and shift/utilize energy in productive and powerful ways. In other words, you are ready to meet this moment!!!
As we continue to implement lots of common sense practices to keep our families, communities and ourselves safe (consistent 20 second hand washing, staying home/sheltering in place unless absolutely necessary, greeting others creatively without shaking hands or hugging, social (physical) distancing-standing at least 6 feet apart and avoiding crowded spaces AND staying connected socially (a phone call/a text/an email/a zoom gathering) etc.), I want to strongly remind and encourage you to be extra vigilant about your own self-care (hydration, nutrition, sleep, exercise/movement, meditation/mindfulness/deep breathing, practicing self-compassion/kindness/gratitude, laughing/smiling, staying super curious (each day asking who are my teachers today/noting lessons learned-today's takeaways), limiting social media/tv/print exposure, actively choosing/ingesting those thoughts/stories/information that support your optimal self etc.
As this pandemic continues to unfold, I have been amazed at the tremendous amount of (mostly) free on-line offerings (articles/classes/interviews/podcasts etc.) that have been created and made available to support us all to meet this challenging and unprecedented moment. So Grateful! I will continue to share what I find and encourage you to do the same with others in your circles (including me:-). To that end, I have put this weekly SIF Community Coronavirus/Covid-19 Care Correspondence on my blog (www.shiftintofifth.com) with an additional (growing) list of resources for all of you to use and to share with others. I am pleased to announce that thanks to many of you, our SIF Community is growing and so are the list of resources-thank YOU!
This week, I want to share the special Pandemic Resource Page of preeminent meditation teacher and prolific writer Jack Kornfield: https://jackkornfield.com/pandemic-resources/ While Jack's website (www.jackkornfield.com) is always filled with valuable information, guided meditations (breath based, metta/compassion etc.), teachings, exercises, podcast episodes etc. to help refocus, reinforce and build on so many of the tools that you already have in your toolbox, the website has added some resources and features focused specifically on meeting this Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic moment.
And once again, I want to remind you that I am here for you-to support you in any way that I can. If that means a 10 minute call for you to rant/vent, connect or simply get a pep talk for you and/or members of your circles, I am here. Creating more anabolic energy for accelerated positive and purposeful change in the world is at the very core of my mission. Supporting YOU is key to that mission.
Stay strong. Be Safe. Stay Healthy. Be kind.
With Gratitude and Purpose,
Valerie
PS. As many of you know, in my work and life, humor is an essential tool for shifting and staying in positive/anabolic energy. It's like medicine for the soul. So in that spirit, I am sharing a few new funny cartoons about some of the challenges/idiosyncrasies of working from home, using technology and creating healthy boundaries. In that same vein, I've also tossed in a fun one for a new game called "Conference Call Bingo" plus a Shelter In Place Coping Chart measured in cartoon bears:-) And to remind you that this challenging time (like all challenging times) is also a tremendous opportunity for growth, I have attached a message that asks you to use this time to intentionally identify and build on your strengths.
PPS. Thinking that we could all use an extra lift as most of us move into this next week of Shelter In Place-so I have also attached a moving video of images of hope set to Have A Little Faith. And knowing we all feel an incredible sense of gratitude to our healthcare professionals and first responders, I have attached a powerful editorial cartoon from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Mike Luckovich.
PPPS. Please remember to feel free to share these links and attachments with any and all who you think might benefit. We really are all in this together!--
