A Lesson in Context, Care & Boundaries
Context, care, and boundaries were words that emerged a lot for me last week. So many conversations with friends and family included one or more of these at a time, as we grappled with our new reality,
I’m so grateful for the people in my life with who I had some incredibly honest and safe discussions about the impact this COVID event is having on us, our relationships and our world. It’s what helped me stay grounded, while seeing the ways this is impacting everyone so differently (inside and out).
As I continue to process all this, and weave in and out of various emotions, it will be interesting to see what words emerge most for me this week. In the meantime here’s how I was reminded of the importance of having context, care, and boundaries within every one of our conversations - now more than ever.
Context: We all came into this COVID event carrying a different context. This means our resilience will vary, our reactions will differ, the measures we take to protect ourselves will not necessarily land well with others.
Care: Let’s take care of each other. Let’s not have our context overshadow the care we had for one another before this began. Speak your mind, hold people accountable, but do so with care and compassion.
Boundaries: Communicating our context from a place of care will help us set the boundaries we personally need to feel safe during this time and to feel like we’re making a difference (small as it may seem). I have personally made the decision for myself and my family to self quarantine to the best of my ability, based on how I believe and understand it will contribute to ending this event sooner than later. I will not be perfect at it (no opportunity to practice before this!). I am not panicking. I am not being over the top. I am not judging you for the actions you must take given YOUR context - but I may have some questions!
Now, here we are going into week two. We’ve had one week of evolving information. Discovering what tests one doesn’t test another. Learning that what we understood and did last week may not be what’s best to do moving forward.
And so, as we enter our second week of this experience, let’s ask ourselves:
How can I do more, or what can I do differently with the information I now have?
How can I continue to nurture and care for my relationships, while staying within my boundaries?
How can I behave in a way that I will be proud of once this is over?
The answer to each of these questions will likely include the use of context, care, and boundaries.