“Sometimes we are floating around at sea hoping we’ll find a port, without knowing where it is, what it’s like, or even what we’ll be doing when we get there” (Amy Cuddy).
I’ve known people who have gotten caught in rip tides while swimming in the ocean, pulled away from shore by a current flowing like a river out to sea. Such a harrowing experience, and so counterintuitive that the best response is to resist the urge to swim back to shore against the current, and instead float with the current until it loosens its grip, or find an edge and swim out sideways.
The term ‘pandemic flux syndrome’ has recently been used to describe what many of us are feeling these days. Flux, from the Latin ‘fluera’, to flow. For many months, we have been flowing in a current of uncertainty, sometimes closer to shore, then further away again ~ always shifting. The distress and anxiety of this time of flux is leading many of us to consider or make major career and other life changes. We are uncomfortable in this place of uncertainty, and hope a change will ease the discomfort and give us a sense of control over our lives.
In my work teaching life design and supporting people as they navigate transitions, we are mindful that the desire to be free of uncertainty can lead to grabbing onto the first idea or opportunity ~ a solid feature in a fluid world. Instead, we pause, reflect, and sit with our ideas and feelings for a moment ~ we make room for them. It’s a time when stillness can inspire wisdom to reveal itself. Greater clarity, and new and better ideas can emerge from this still place. Sometimes, the change we need is an internal shift; other times, an unexpected direction.
If you are considering a career or other life change, but are unsure, you may like to reflect on these questions:
1. What is the ‘why’ that is driving this change? Does it align with your core values?
2. Will making this change address an underlying need/the ‘why’?
3. Have you generated and considered ample ideas?
4. Can you redesign an aspect of your work or life to allow you to find a new source of enjoyment, meaning, or purpose where you are?
5. What prototype or small experiment can you try before making a change to gather information and inform your decision?
6. Who can you talk to about your idea?
For some, the pandemic has created a space for reflection and clarity from which many good and wise decisions have been made, but in a world with so many constantly moving pieces, there’s value to holding still for a moment to get oriented and find some ground before making any important changes.
If you are considering a career or other life change, please get in touch. I’m currently offering private and semi-private online Life Design sessions and would love to hear from you!
What to do in a rip current/pandemic:
~ Try not to panic.
~ Take a moment to float and get your bearings.
~ Look after yourself and conserve your energy for the journey.
~ Help each another (but don’t put yourself at risk of being pulled under).
~ Some currents are circular and will bring you back to shore.
~ Rip currents eventually dissipate. And this will too.
