Let’s Not Go Back. Let’s Go Somewhere Else
Can we slow this down, please?
In this moment, I notice a pull and push of excited glee and vulnerable resistance. I feel the excitement of a kid in a candy shop — eagerly wanting to try, taste, and touch everything in sight as the world opens. I lick my lips and my mouth waters thinking about all of the possibilities — hugging family members, traveling on a plane, eating out, parties, and enjoying grocery shopping again. I am an excited dog scratching at the door waiting to go outside and play! Yet, at the same time, I feel this reserved anxious resistance. This fear that once the seal is popped, I will rupture this cozy little bubble I have been hibernating in the last year. I can feel myself resisting the rush and pace of commuting and the need to fit it all in! Just thinking about it feels exhausting and I wonder, how did I even function at that speed pre-pandemic?!
Our global world ruptured last year and I am noticing how the collective inertia is yearning to find “normalcy.” I fear that if we rush back to this “new normal,” whatever that means, we will only be doing what American culture does best — powering through our emotions and sweeping the unpleasant truths under the rug. I fear how quickly we will forget what happened. What we learned. What we witnessed. What we want to remember.
We all just collectively experienced trauma — and however difficult it is to relive unpleasant memories, emotions or thoughts, it is my belief we have to gently feel it to heal it. Because if we don’t, who knows how this later might bite us in the ass — as a collective and as individuals. Let me tell you, as someone who thought I was strong enough to not need to process my mother’s death or process my own cancer journey, it has all come to find me later in life. There is no dreaming or wishing it away. What happened in 2020 is still here. It is all part of us that I believe deserves our attention to unpack so that we don’t “go back” but we go somewhere else.
Under stressful situations, it is interesting to see how we show up. Some of us collapse. Some of us get activated and jump into action and some of us show up somewhere in between. We are still going through a pandemic. Even if the United State has 74 million people fully vaccinated, that is only 22.3% of the United States population and the rest of the world is even a smaller percentage. Which means the pandemic isn’t truly over.
As we think about work and business, how do you want to transition to this new phase? Instead of pulling associates right back into the office this fall and “ripping off the band-aid”, don’t we owe it to our working communities to ease into this new space? Let’s make sure we are creating psychological safety. Wouldn’t it be so powerful to see big and small companies holding town halls so that people can collectively share their thoughts, worries, excitements and needs with their community? Wouldn’t it be powerful to remember the importance of taking care of people and profit at the same time? Wouldn’t it be powerful to hear company leaders be transparent and express what’s opened their eyes this last year. How business will be approached differently? What’s worked well about remote work? What didn’t work well? This transition to the next phase is a transition not to be skipped. Let’s take our time to process and support one another. Companies get to take care of their people instead of creating another rupture, only to be smoothed over by UberEats gift cards.
As individuals, it is our responsibility to do our own introspective reflections. I beg you to take this time for yourself. Slow down and find some quiet time to reflect. Maybe that looks like journaling or a walk in the woods. Maybe ask yourself, what did I learn about myself this last year? The world? My city? My family? What values of mine became more clear and transparent? What worked well? What do I want to keep practicing? What didn’t work well? What do I want to let go of? What do I want this new phase to look like for myself, my family and communities? What am I most excited to do when the world opens up? How do I want to contribute in this new phase?
I beg you, I beg the collective to slow down and learn from this process because I can feel us speeding up and I don’t want to see us crash. We have this unique moment in time to truly create a more sustainable world. A world where we are treating each other and the planet with kindness. A world where burnout isn’t glorified. A world where white supremacy is dismantled. A world where there is freedom of expression and physical and psychological safety, especially for marginalized BIPOC and LGBPTTQQIIAA+ communities. A world where stress isn’t a major killer. A world where people inside and outside of corporate walls feel held, heard and seen by their companies, co-workers and peers. That’s the world I want us to move towards.
Will you join me in creating something new?
