Doing nothing can be so exhausting! There’s a real weariness that can arise from life in lockdown, a slow seeping away of the energy needed to find constructive things to do. Even those who have not been ill with Covid-19 are finding that it can be hard to sustain concentration on anything for long. And without being able to gather together with others, so many of the things in life that are stimulating or enriching are currently out of reach.
The one thing we can do - indeed must do - is take care of ourselves. A nun, who has spent her life in the lockdown of a cloistered religious life, advises that having a daily routine is key. Creating a structure for the day, a timetable even, where getting up, eating, exercising, prayer, work and leisure all have their rhythm. I’ve been using the opportunity to phone up old friends and have a good long chat, something I realise I used to do a lot more before the days of email, texting and social media. It’s crucial not to become isolated.
The Irish poet and priest, John O’Donohue (1956-2008) wrote a blessing for one who is exhausted, which includes these words:
You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken for the race of days...
Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.
No comments:
Post a Comment