Niamh Ennis: ‘In the midst of Coronavirus panic, it’s time to come home to you’

Self-isolation offers us an unprecedented opportunity for self-reflection, writes Niamh Ennis 

It’s impossible to sit in front of a keyboard this week and not reference the Coronavirus. I am torn between balancing bouts of real anxiety and longer periods of just knowing that it will all work out.

I’m in what they call the ‘high risk’ category due to having both rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes so I feel the occasional pang of anxiety is allowed, but overall, I’m doing everything I possibly can to stay positive amidst all of this doom and gloom!

To help, let me share what I think are some of the more encouraging signs that are emerging from this. 

You now have more time to think about who you want to become 

I say this, because as a Transformation Coach, I am having a lot more conversations with people these past two weeks who want to use this time to begin the work on themselves they have talked about for so long. Most of my client sessions happen online, so we are continuing this at an increased level, and while it’s also providing me with some very welcome distraction, I can also see the benefits it’s having for those that I serve, and that feels great!

When it comes to making change or transformation in our lives, we hide behind not having enough time to dedicate to it. We use phrases like ‘when things get better / when I’m freer / when the kids are more settled / when this busy time at work subsides.

But each of these is just another way for us to defer acknowledging the truth – we want to change, we need to change but we don’t know where to start and we are so scared that if we do start we might fail. So we do nothing.

So I’m going to put it to you now, as you read this, why not start today? Why not reach out and ask someone for help to get started right now? Won’t it be great to look back in months to come and feel proud that you used this time of reflection to start a process that you just know will have a significant impact on your life?

Think about what’s really stopping you from moving forward and just keep asking yourself “is this really true?” or is it simply fear in disguise? No more hiding. Avail of this unique and unprecedented occasion and create something positive for yourself from it. 

Come home to you

You already know how serious I am taking this current health challenge, yet I cannot pretend that I don’t feel this is also the Universe waving its big red flag in our direction. 

The truth is that we are moving further and further from ourselves all the time. 

We are disconnecting from what really matters in a quiet and deeply insidious way, often unaware of the real implications it is having on our lives. We are spending more time living from our heads and ignoring the real benefits of being in touch with our hearts. 

We are finding it harder to ignore the whispers of our souls, our intuition, that part of us that tells us how we are truly feeling about something that is happening to us or for us. 

Plus, we have been losing our faith in our institutions but with that we are also letting go of our faith in our creators, whoever you believe them to be. We are poorer for their absence.

Social distancing has been happening for years now but we ignored the cost. Or maybe we just couldn’t see it. But we can now. 

We are becoming more removed from nature and drawn more towards technology. Fewer conversations are happening face to face and much less connections are being made in favour of social media and isolation. 

Social distancing has been happening for years now but we ignored the cost. Or maybe we just couldn’t see it. But we can now.  

The greatest irony of course will be that, now that we are being asked to distance socially from each other, it could be our best chance for us to come home to ourselves.

We have been floundering for too long now. 

We have been scared about not recognising ourselves in the world anymore, being unsure who we even are in this new order, yet maybe this is our time. 

This is our time to reflect on who we want to become and while the world is forcing us to slow down maybe we take the signs and slow down with it. 

How we are living has not served us well. Everything must change. 

Changing something in our lives is relatively straightforward, it’s about changing what we do, but this is time for deep transformation for us to change who we are and who we are becoming. 

It will result in us changing the families we live in, the communities we belong to and the world we inhabit.

And the reality is that for this to happen we must acknowledge that it starts with each of us. 

It will result in us changing the families we live in, the communities we belong to and the world we inhabit. If we approach it mindfully, and from a place of love and not fear we will release the tendency we all possess to make it all about us individually and will become more about us collectively. That’s where the strength is. That’s where the magic exists.

If that sounds too idealistic then maybe yes it is. But what else have we got to aim for? What else should we be working towards if not an ideal?

We each have the power to create something better, something more beautiful out of all this chaos. 

Why not start with yourself?

Niamh Ennis is Ireland’s leading Transformation Coach, www.niamhennis.com, working with women who feel ready to make changes in their lives. 

Her next workshop ‘Time to come home to you’ takes place on Saturday 9^th May, 2020 as an online event. This workshop will be full of nourishment for your mind, heart and soul with Niamh sharing the tools needed to help you prepare to make significant changes in your life.

If you want to be amongst the first to receive details just click here http://bit.ly/NH-CHTY or email [email protected]

Read more: A list of Irish businesses and people offering acts of generosity during the coronavirus lockdown

Read more: Sleep, uncertainty and social media: Dr Doireann O’Leary explains how to reduce Coronavirus anxiety

Read more: Coronavirus Diaries: The Cork yoga teacher who’s worried about her elderly mother

Photo: Pexels