I’ve been observing something in myself and clients and friends over the past couple of weeks: our tender spots, those fears and worries that may not spend a lot of time in the daylight, are being intensified.  We’re concerned about becoming ill and having no one to care for us, or becoming ill and leaving our children, or becoming increasingly more alone.  And naturally enough.  We are, individually and collectively, under tremendous strain.

But what occurred to me on this morning’s run is that while these worries are intensified, we may not even realize it.  We might simply feel more distressed.  Or anxious.  About everything.

And the only way I know to find my way out of such a place is to swim for center.

Hard.

I’ve written about this before, but I don’t know that there’s a more important time to practice it than now, when we are all, professionally and personally, carrying more.

So, how to swim, then?  How to swim for the place within of connected calm?

For me, it’s running outside, journaling, and directing my attention toward the good.

What good?  Here’s what I jotted down in just a few minutes today:

• Debblie Allen’s dance class on Insta (I did this at 11pm last night when I stumbled on it in a NYT article. Even in darkness, there is room for joy; my first dog taught me that).
• That my lungs and legs can carry me over this earth.
• Clients that I am proud to work with and so admire and see rising to this very difficult occasion.
• Food and water and shelter. These are gifts.

If you find yourself caught in a current of fear and anxiety (and we’re all likely to get pulled during these times), swim for center.

Swim for home.

Swim hard.

For more on working with me directly: sarah@sarah-levitt.com   I work with CEOs and senior executives who are courageous, talented, successful, and want to make their mark.

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