Greetings Shift Into Fifth Community,

This is my 15th Covid-19 Inspired Care Correspondence. And as we all continue to deal with some form of shelter in place directives and/or new Covid-19 realities, I am continuing to think about YOU.

Two Viruses - Covid-19. Racism.

The US and the world now grapple with two major viruses simultaneously. Covid-19 and Racism. One new. Novel. The other, centuries old. Both Big. Complex. Challenging. Transformational.

Making My Way Back Home

The purple cashmere sweater is casually draped over the black corduroys on the corner of the bathroom counter. Turning the corner, my boots and thick socks are stacked high. Wearing my summer uniform of a sleeveless black polo shirt with my white shorts, I smile. Oh yes, I remember. When I left this apartment to head down to NYC on my way to a quick trip to Arizona, it was the start of March. Bitterly cold, windy and definitely still winter. Now, some 4 months later, I am returning from a most unexpected pandemic induced shelter in place extended desert hiatus, to summer in Boston. Welcome home Valerie-you missed spring.

The process of "coming home" during this pandemic has been a wild ride. Filled with a wide range of emotions including uncertainty, discomfort, apprehension, excitement, fear and relief. Through it all, the one constant has been CHANGE. And as I've shared, one of my core missions in my coaching work and personal life is to accelerate/support positive, purposeful, and productive change for sustainable and rewarding success. For others. And yes, for me!

This adventure has been an amazing real life opportunity to apply many of the tried and true tools that I have shared with you and which I work hard to cultivate internally. And it's made me more confident in and grateful for each one of them. As always, I want to share the take-aways/lessons learned. Here are a few:

1. Stay Present - As I moved toward ending my stay in Arizona and returning to the East Coast, I was flooded with a strange mix of feelings of remorse/melancholy. Did I make the most out of my time in the desert? Did I write enough? Read enough? Learn enough? Would I make the most out of this new chapter of coming home. Crazy, right? We humans are the only animals on the planet who do NOT live in the present. Our brains naturally take us to the past or the future. But the only real thing is the PRESENT. Each moment. Right here. Right now. As I worried about the past/future, I depleted my energy, and thus my ability, to bring my full self to the tasks at hand-which were many. Reminding myself to pivot to the present and to give each moment my full attention was critically important to make decisions and to take action to move toward my ultimate goal-getting my stepmom and me home safe/sound.

2. Stay Curious/Look for Lessons Learned-Takeaways - As discomfort and uncertainty rolled in throughout planning our return, I approached each twist and turn with a sense of curiosity. Asking questions like "what will I learn from this", "who might have information about this?" and "what are the different ways to approach this?" kept my lens open to the information, resources and possibilities that ultimately moved us through the challenges. Seeing each challenge as an opportunity to learn helped change the energy around each task as well.

3. Feel the Feeling/Stop Adding the Narratives (Stories) - Yes. There were a whole array of feelings. Sadness. Grief. Uncertainty. Anxiety. Relief. Excitement. Discomfort. And more. As my brain tried to explain each new feeling-with a myriad of thoughts and stories-I found the feelings intensifying to the point of almost paralysis. Then I remembered to just feel each feeling and to stop the story-telling around each one. Yes, the feelings were real but they didn't have to tie into a whole narrative. Honoring the feeling while not adding the stories/thoughts was a game changer. The feelings passed more expeditiously, and I could then pivot back to the tasks at hand with a renewed sense of purpose and energy.

4. Cultivate/Practice Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude - One of my favorite quotes is from the great 20th Century Philosopher, Dr. Seuss! "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Initially, I was so sad to leave Arizona. And filled with some guilt that I had somehow failed to make the most out of my time there (yes, my brain is kind of insane!). Remembering this awesome quote and embracing one of my favorite emotions, gratitude, helped me to pivot away from such draining and sabotaging thoughts/emotions. Appreciating each unexpected moment in that glorious place as a gift helped to keep the positive energy flowing. And allowed for a deep sense of the possible.

5. Meditate/Pause/Breathe - daily-breath based/walking/metta/guided/whatever-basically brain bicep curls-it literally rewires the brain, keeps you in the present moment, allows you to pause/respond, and helps at every turn. I have done some form of meditation for over 10 years. Exquisite in its simplicity and accessibility. Astonishing in its power and effectiveness.

6. Embrace Discomfort - Thinking about coming back East caused a great bit of discomfort. So much unknown. How bad was it in New York? In Boston? Was my stepmom going to be ok? Could I leave her? Could I move around? Would I be stuck in my apartment? Covid-19 everywhere? So much uncertainty. And then the discomfort. But then I remembered how much discomfort I had experienced back in March - as the reality of the shutdowns and shelter in place directives settled in. I felt "stuck" in Arizona-away from home...away from my children. And yet now, thinking about this next phase in the journey, being in Arizona felt comfortable. I used to be afraid of my own discomfort. I thought that it meant something was wrong and had to be fixed. And then I remembered that discomfort is just another sensation...one that often signals valuable growth.

Change

Remember, change is the one constant. Pandemic. Racism. Whatever. Every second, we are changing. It's the one thing that's a sure bet. How we handle change is at the core of how we move through life. My coaching practice is dedicated to supporting and accelerating positive and purposeful change. And with that, shifting, harnessing and optimizing energy. While there is no one size fits all on HOW to change, or what change will ultimately look like, there are definitely some tried and true tools that help each of us effectuate and move through change positively, productively and position us for sustainable and rewarding success. These include cultivating gratitude, tolerating and dealing productively with discomfort, staying curious, identifying and incorporating lessons learned, staying present, reframing, breathing/pausing (responding vs. reacting), maintaining healthy boundaries, practicing self compassion/non-judgment and engaging in a mindfulness/meditation practice,

Developing and sustaining the muscles that support positive, purposeful and productive action, change and energy is the work that we continue to do together in the Shift Into Fifth community. So many of you have started 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 the moment!!!

Self Care

And yes. Self care is ESSENTIAL. Please, stay 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. Remember, this is a marathon...not a sprint!

Resources

Accessing Resources is key! Please remember all the weekly SIF Community Covid-19 Care Correspondences are on my blog (www.shiftintofifth.com) with an additional (growing) list of resources for all of you to use and to share with others. PLEASE SHARE! Thanks to many of you, our SIF Community is growing and so is the list of resources-Grateful!

This week's highlight resources come from the world renowned meditation/mindfulness teacher Tara Brach. It includes an ever expanding Pandemic Resource Page as well as an Anti-Racism Resource Page. I strongly encourage you to investigate both pages as they are filled with timely and powerful books, videos, articles and tools to help better understand and effectively combat these two viruses (Covid-19 and Racism):

1. https://www.tarabrach.com/racism/?mc_cid=c1ba4f14c6&mc_eid=eff4fdc883

2. https://www.tarabrach.com/pandemic/

Please, share any part of these weekly Covid-19 Inspired Care Correspondence emails with your networks. A picture, a cartoon, a story, a podcast, whatever. All meant to support and strengthen one another.

And I want to remind you that I am here for YOU-to support you in any way that I can. If that means a quick call for you to rant/vent or simply to 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.

Please. Stay strong. Be Safe. Stay Healthy. Be kind.

With Gratitude and Purpose,

Valerie

PS. Humor. Yes. Even now. It's an essential tool for self care that shifts and maintains positive/anabolic energy. Thus, I'm sharing a few new pandemic inspired cartoons/memes.

PPS. And here are some moments of zen brought to you by the desert's late spring magic show. I'm also adding some pictures from my brief time in NYC and recent return to Boston. Beauty and light abounds. Beyond Grateful! Enjoy!