Fear is more dangerous than we realize. In fact, this season is showcasing that clearly. Rachel Hollis referred to quarantine life as our current season on her podcast, RISE. I took to it immediately. One of my intentions during this time is to not succumb to fear. Trauma survivors that have taken the time to heal (shout out to therapy) can use stress resilience to positively respond. With all of my years of therapy, meditation, yoga, and a strong gratitude practice, I’ve honed my skills to help my family and others while the world waits to reopen.
The Global Wellness Summit quoted a luxury spa leader and when I read it, I felt seen. “In times of crisis, the world needs practical optimists. Practical optimists don’t ignore a difficult reality – they accept it – and then immediately start working towards the better future they want to create.” A short-term memory challenge changed the phrase in my head to logical optimist, which I’m now owning. Jackie Roby is a logical optimist.
Choose Your Words Carefully
Author Gretchen Rubin talks about emotional contagion. She gives a great example about when someone in your home gets grumpy, it spreads and soon everyone has attitude (and not in the sassy, fabulous way). Think about that. What kind of emotion do you want be contagious?
While I recognize there is so much that is unknown about the c word, I refuse to say things like “the new normal” or “travel will be forever changed”. Notice that I choose “c word” intentionally. Using that name gives it more power than it deserves. This type of conversation feeds the fear and our collective fear is dangerous. It creates a negative energy that manifests what we don’t want. No thank you. Will things be different? Sure. However, life changes and evolves. Not being able to hug my friends, travel to a Healing Hotel, explore a new destination, or feel safe walking for long periods of time is not my new normal. It’s temporary.
If depression has taught me anything, it’s that this is just a moment. Today may not feel amazing, but there’s time to change that or simply look forward to tomorrow. Anxiety has shown that nothing is fully in my control so I should continue to be present in the now, write down my feelings, and bring in the logic. After all of that, meditation is a magnificent way to bring down the fear and breathe more deeply.
The Future of Travel
Will travel change forever? Maybe not in the ways that are being discussed in the news, on webinars, and on social media. Why not consider the positive way it will shift in the future? Travelers will have more gratitude for the opportunity to see, discover, and connect. People will be more respectful about personal space, not out of fear but because they care. Even if we’re on that 6 a.m. flight for a business trip, we’ll be more likely to smile because this new scenery is a gift. Maybe we’ll explore outside of our resort when we wouldn’t have before. Or choose to pay for a curated tour because we know the guides have been hit financially like many of us. Perhaps we’ll do more to support small and local businesses, even if trying new things is not typically in our comfort zone. The world has experienced something together, which creates a new bond.
Sorry fear. You are not invited into my home, life, or future. I trust the experts to figure out the medical safety precautions and am giving them time to do that. I’ll do my part at home or out with my glamorous mask. In the meantime, logical optimism is what I want to spread more of.