Creating the new normal

Thanks for letting me take a break from writing. The quarantine inspired a mini vacation, which led me to take a break from all work related functions. I could have written during that time, but my heart told me a break from the blog and newsletter was a good idea. I’ve been back in Nashville for days now and should have been writing again, but it’s difficult to get back into your normal rhythm sometimes. And sometimes it’s good to have that disruption. It gives you the opportunity to evaluate what’s most important, create new goals and routines, as well as let go of what’s no longer necessary in your life. When working with my clients who have long been suffering with chronic issues like pain, insomnia or depression, I always teach them on day one that we have to create a new normal. The old normal wasn’t optimal, so we need to create a new one, which means creating entirely new life conditions physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Not only does this take effort, but it always seems to be met with resistance and challenge. This is why people typically don’t make big health changes without big wake up calls.

I’ve heard many people in my office ask me to help them get back to the way things were before their complaint or symptom showed up. The reality is that “the way things were” led to whatever the complaint or symptom is, so why would you want to go back to the same conditions that led to the problem? Every challenge, complaint or symptom is an opportunity to make the corrections needed to move towards a more optimum reality.  

Lately, I have been hearing a great deal of people preface their statements with the line, “when things go back to normal”. I personally hope things don’t go back to normal. Normal was violence, anxiety, cancer, abuse, shame, poverty, autoimmune disorders, obesity and emotional disconnection. I hope we can use this disruption as a chance to refocus on what’s actually important and that we’re forever changed in a positive way. 

Of course a disruption of this magnitude can result in the opposite. Things can always change in a negative way as well. There are important choices to be made. Life altering choices. History, scientific research and common knowledge show that better choices are made from a place of love, compassion and rest then are made from fear, disconnection and lack. The world is going to be different. The normal we knew is in the past. What do we want to create moving forward?

We can create a world of stewardship. We can better care for the sick, the poor, our families and our bodies. The powerlessness felt by a pandemic we have no pill, potion or procedure for can be a wakeup call to find ways to proactively create bodies that are ready to do battle with brand new viruses. Many of the reported deaths from covid 19 are associated with comorbidities, meaning that the people dying from infection were also suffering from another illness. In Italy, only 1.2% of the covid 19 victims died without having previously been diagnosed with a chronic illness and nearly half the people who died had at least 3 previously diagnosed conditions. These conditions are for the most part lifestyle based diseases like hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. We don’t need a mandated quarantine to manage these diseases, but we can create healthier lives such that these conditions no longer need to exist. 

We can also create a new world built on the fear of infectious disease. We can move forward and implement our current practices into the new normal. Maybe we decide physical affection and social gatherings aren’t worth the risk. Maybe we decide that the government tracking of our movements, forced medical treatments, military policing, involuntary quarantines, and censorship of “disinformation” are safer and healthier ways to live. 

Covid 19 will come and go, but infectious disease will always be a part of our lives. How are we going to use this time to shape our future? What changes will we accept out of fear and panic? What changes will we create out of stewardship and love? What changes are you making? Please let me know.