Last week I posted about this topic – it came to mind after I had had a number of clients in session feel very much stuck in a rut , wondering what the point of everything was … and across all age group I work with.
So many people are finding it hard to keep track of the days as everything continues in a similar fashion with no events or changes of scenery to look forward to or mark time by.
It can be hard to ‘ process the positives’ when your daily routine is always the same and you lack human contact and conversation.
At the same time, I was reminded that when we are young, we see joy in every day so much easier ! So much of the world is still new, there is much to learn, and little activities can seem like amazing adventures.
You see I needed to post a letter – nothing special about that and not a very exciting letter to be honest …
But when I put the letter on the table and said to my 6-year-old son that he needed to help me remember to post the letter the next day – his eyes lit up ! … and stream of questions came.
‘Will we go out to the posting box?’
‘Can I hold the letter on the way there?’
‘Will you let me be the one that puts it in the post?’
For me this was another task to tick off … for him in a world which has become so much smaller than normal – it was a joyous occasion.
Like so many children the last year has been challenging for him – time out of school, no play dates with friends, sometimes being able to see very important people in his life – his grandparents and his big sister – sometimes not having that contact at all … no real outings or family occasions marked in the usual way.
Children are resilient it’s true, but I see the impact on him and on my young adult clients. My son is prone to anxiety ticks – stammering , throat clearing and since this lock down started again, he has been separated once more from beloved family members a head jerk motion that gets worse when he feels out of sorts.
So, anything that helps him to feel his world is ‘ normal’ anything that can be done to help him stay happy is a blessing. … and this letter was so much more than what it looked like – a beige envelope with a red stamp and a handwritten address… it was an adventure!
You can imagine how the trip went of course – tightly holding onto the letter he walked down the road carefully and then almost solemnly he posted the letter into the red pillar box mouth – making sure to push it all the way in and listen for it to hit the pile of letters below. He then carefully checked the times when the post man would pick it up and felt very pleased, we had made the ( early) 9am pick up … his posted letter would continue it’s travels this very day.
And so, with a number of my clients I talked about this – and encouraged them to think about what they had enjoyed as a child – it was amazing to hear stories that were told with smiles and looks of reflections – tales of ordinary events and things which through the eyes of a small person were amazing.
And so, when you are sitting at home, or when you are out on your daily walk ( and I encourage you to do this!) … here are some ideas of how you can start to see the world through the eyes of child and recapture some of the memories and feelings from long ago.
1. Look for shapes in the clouds.
2. Make a note of all the sounds you can hear and think about how you could recreate them – or be brave and actually do it – the woosh of a car as it goes by , the patter of rain.
3. Have rain drop races on the window pain.
4. Look to see how many colours you are around when you are outside / or in doors as well.
5. Have fun asking Alexa or Siri questions – my son is fascinated by asking Siri – ‘what time is it ?’ and how she knows exactly the right answer ! ‘
6. Imagine you had no idea how machines or items work and think about what this might seem like to someone for the first time … how does an aeroplane stay in the sky ? What makes the pictures appear on the television?’
7. Be free like a child and dance and sing to your favourite song.
8. Get back in touch with childhood classics – Winnie the Pooh asks the big questions in life for sure.
9. Make a splatter paint picture – take your paint brush – dip in paint , pull back the bristles – let go ! – maybe be a little adult and do outside or put newspaper down …
10. Do your walk based on the toss of a coin – heads are left, tails are right … off you go !
There are many things you can do – so feel free to comments and share. I also highly recommend some of the children’s programmes – Dougie on CBeebies with always worth watching – my favourite ones are The Stick Badge, The Yoga Badge and The Philosophy Badge.
The world can feel very different right now … it can feel as thought every day is the same but life itself is nothing like we know. If we use the phrase Children Are Resilient, then perhaps we can look at why that is … some if it is how they see wonder and joy in the smallest of things … time to then get Reconnected to that way of thinking.
Ps – I was going to write about the 4 Pillars of Self – but with the thoughts of a child I decided this one was more fun … so, I will write about that next week – or I may simply share the pictures of cloud shapes I am taking right now !
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