Photo by Sushobhan Badhai
“What day is it?”
I said this out loud earlier when I tried to write a date on a form. I say “tried” because I first wrote “2/29/20,” then realized it’s the 26th, then realized I’d written February instead of March.
If you’re one of the at least 200 million Americans who have been asked to stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19, you might be experiencing something similar. Much of our lives have been upended and changed, and the things that remain the same have a different feel to them, and that can be disorienting.
But while life may feel strange or chaotic right now, it’s still moving. There is still food to cook, people to care for, and work to do. How do we shift our energy from the strangeness of this moment to the possibility of it? How do we keep our eyes and hearts on what’s most important now when there’s so much to focus on?
Resilience, one of Rockwood’s 6 Core Practices, is our ability to bounce back when we’re knocked off course, and it’s a practice Rockwood is leaning heavily on right now as we continue to transition into this new way of life.
I asked Rockwood’s staff how they’re practicing Resilience during this time. Here are their responses:
”Growing food and medicinal herbs, making herbal cold-process soap (I'm making A LOT of soap right now), making tinctures and teas. I'm reading, writing, creating art. I created a playlist to comfort me. I'm making my nana's red sauce. I'm stringing garlic around my neck, stuffing it in my pockets, and eating it daily. Planning my garden for the next season. I hung pictures of my grandparents and great grandparents around my desk at work.
SarahProgram Manager
”I've created a soft schedule for myself. Whenever I hit a wall or start to wonder what it is I should be doing, I look at it. I even included a myriad of activities that I can do in the evening. At-home workouts, meditation, and talking to my family has really kept me grounded.
JeremiahProgram Manager
”Hmmm...now might be the time to bust out that gratitude journal I bought months ago and never touched.
JulieChief Operating Officer
”I'm texting and FaceTiming with my friends and family throughout the day. I try to keep the good from the previous day and build on a little with each new day.
RajProgram Officer
”I am reminding myself caring for myself is caring for the whole. I am honoring all my emotions including fears about what is to come and hope for how marginalized communities will embody and uplift our collective resilience.
QSenior Development Officer
”Taking things moment by moment.
AmieProduction Manager
”Relying on my ancestors beliefs and knowing that this too shall pass. Something good always emerges from challenging situations.
MelissaOperations Manager
”I'm taking things one day at a time; I'm checking in more frequently on priorities (at work and at home) and keeping the to-do list focused and actionable; I'm asking for help; I'm listening to my body and my mind and am taking breaks when I need them; I'm getting out in nature by going for a daily walk.
LizSenior Salesforce Manager
”Using this time and space to communicate with family and friends and expressing/showing gratitude when and where I can.
LorraineGrants Manager
”Daily resonant breathing, eating healthy, family Facetime.
NaniProduction Manager
”Mostly it is through allowing the feelings to come as I am able. Letting it flow. Also, I think practice - meditation, silence and presencing are more central to my wellbeing than I even realized before now.
DarleneCEO
”Taking space from the news at least one full day a week, knowing how much input i can handle by checking in with myself and when i feel saturated, staying in close relationship with my partner and deciding to shelter in place away from home so i can be with him, taking deep breaths before i walk into a grocery store.
SharonDirector of Strategic Initiatives
”I am practicing gratitude everyday and sharing with my family. I am taking deep breaths outside. I am praying. I am connecting to loved ones over video.
LuciaDirector of Programs
”Breathing and taking things one day at a time.
ChinueFinance and Programs Operations Manager
How are you practicing Resilience right now?