Giving up and gaining - by Phil Bloomfield

We’ve all been through a lot in the last five months. Our normal routines have been disrupted, the simple conveniences we took for granted have gone, and the patterns that ensured life functioned (mostly) smoothly have been upended.

As a result, we’ve lost a lot of what we thought we knew, and what helped us to feel secure. Of course, it could be worse – if you or anyone you know has had the virus, then you’ll know how brutal it can be, and many people are mourning because of it. But it’s disconcerting to have life’s daily certainties swept from beneath our feet and for many, the reaction has been akin to a kind of grieving. What do you think has driven so much of the vitriolic media conversation if not an anger at what has been ‘stolen’ by this pandemic?

But for all those who have railed against the fact they couldn’t go and get their coffee for a few weeks, there are those who have sat down and thought ‘did I ever really need to?’ This period has been many things, including an opportunity to unpick the stuff that we used to think was important, and ask how much it really was. Our horizons have been pulled inward, but rather than that be suffocating, or somehow indicative of a reduction in our lives, we can see it as a moment to pause and reflect on how they could be improved. It doesn’t have to be big steps – there’s no need to become an Ashram-dwelling renunciant. Give up that daily coffee – it was a hassle to queue for it, the costs mounted up and you were never sure about the environmental impact anyway – but learn to make your own at home. Walk to your local shop (the family-owned grocery, not the big chain supermarket) rather than drive. Driving is stressful, it’s not great for air quality and walking will help your fitness levels. Win-win-win. Maybe scrolling through social media on your phone was part of your daily escape. But you kind of know it’s a waste of time and never made you feel too good. So delete the apps, or put some time limitations on.

The point is, after the seismic events of this year, what better opportunity will you have to make some positive changes? And although those events have been global in scale and historic in proportion, yours don’t have to be overwhelming to have just as much impact on your own future. Every journey to somewhere new starts with a single step.

By Phil Bloomfield