F4Thought #146 - Round Up

#F4Thought #146 - Lockdown Round Up of three spotlight posts chosen by Jupiter Grant

This weeks Lockdown topic for Food for Thought proved very popular. Twenty one bloggers linked to the meme. Which meant a roundup of three spotlight posts would need to be done.

I am a fan of Jupiter Grants work. Not only that she is a wonderfully supportive blogger and author. If you are not aware of her blog check it out. In fact check it out anyway ;-)

So over to Jupiter for this weeks spotlight roundup...

Food 4 Thought Round Up #146 by Jupiter Grant

No matter who or where we are, the coronavirus pandemic has a huge impact upon our lives, and has forced us to adapt to these very strange and worrying circumstances. With that comes uncertainty and anxiety, but what I also discovered through reading all of the Food 4 Thought submissions this week, is that lots of us are finding positive ways to combat the fear, the upheaval, the loneliness and the frustration. Even if just through articulating those thoughts and feelings through the written word, it seems that a large number of bloggers are finding respite and expression by sharing their own experiences of this unprecedented global lockdown. So thank you to everyone who joined in with this week's topic.

 

It's hard to pick just three to highlight, but here are the posts that really resonated with me this week:

"Human Contact: Too Much and Too Little" from A Mental Switch

This post on human contact by A Mental Switch really made me think about my experiences of contact with others, and to consider my own threshold for different types of human contact. We all have our own balance of the amount and type of contact we need in order to feel that our equilibrium is being maintained. It often doesn’t take very much to knock it off kilter, and so something as momentous as the lockdown can have big consequences to our feelings of well-being.

"...But lots of small things changed or simply vanished. My meetups and support groups stopped coming together, little pieces of human contact like chatting with my favorite saleswoman went away, my wife and I spent way more time cooped up together than before, museums, galleries and yoga studios closed, even playgrounds were off limits. And after a while I really felt that something was missing. Human contact. I did not have less human contact, in fact whatever contact I lost outside I made up with more time with my immediate family. But it is a funny thing. Something was too much. Human contact." READ MORE...

"Lockdown" from Alethea Hunt

Maintaining the lockdown has made new demands on us in terms of preparedness, resilience, and managing our resources. These resources are both physical, such as our stocks of food and household goods, and mental; our energy levels, our coping strategies, and our ability to maintain our self-care. In the current situation, it is easy to go into hyper-drive in order to keep a sense of being in control even as life swerves in all sorts of unanticipated directions. In this very honest and insightful post, Alethea Hunt talks about recognising when that hyper-resilience starts to become a locking down of the inner voice, and when an "exit strategy" is required to bring us back to the Self.

"...Lurking, I can feel a desperate sense of exhaustion. A sort of rational panic without the physical reactions. The warning signs that tanks are coming closer to empty than is wise. I just need some emotional recharging, but the super solider doesn’t acknowledge emotions. I desperately want to cry, and I can’t remember how. Watch the concerns of others across my social media and want to feel something. Anything. A ghost of the real me is sick and tired of being cool and in control. I don’t want to be stuck here where nothing feels connected to humanity." READ MORE...

"Food 4 Thought #146 Lockdown" from Down the Bunny Rabbit Hole"

LuvBunnysl82's post encouraged me to think about the positive changes that lockdown has brought with it for many people, with families more able to enjoy time together, people discovering new and resourceful ways of living, and communities coming together to support one another. No doubt there are many things we're looking forward to getting back after lockdown, but there are also some sides to the lockdown that we will want to hold on to.

"...Some people will realise that they have more autonomy to be able to work from home if their field supports it. I think hopefully the majority of people will find that they actually need far less ‘stuff’ than they had thought previously. It’s more about the company they’re with and living in the moment, to make special memories. I hope people will have more empathy for others, particularly for the more vulnerable in society. We’re all human, and we all need support at various times in our lives. Even those that appear strong and resilient need some help on occasions. How can we help anyone else, if we are not being helped ourselves?" READ MORE...

I would like to thank May More very much for inviting me to participate in the Food 4 Thought Round Up this week. I really enjoyed and appreciated all of the posts, and I wish all of you good health, safety and well-being as we all navigate this odd new world in which we find ourselves. Love, Jupiter xx

Header adapted from Pixabay image.