What is going on at the moment, and how do we deal with all the changes? In this blog, someone from the Flow team shares how she is dealing with the current situation: both on a practical level and in her head. In this first episode: Irene (Flow’s creative director) and her three new rules.
When I heard that we were going to work from home for the coming weeks, I went straight into ‘do-mode’. What do I need to organize? What do I need to take home? How do we make this work for everyone?… Then Friday came and it was off to a slightly surreal start. We stumbled along from home on Microsoft teams (how on Earth does that actually work?), set up a group WhatsApp to share nice things with each other, and Astrid made a ‘Flow working from home’ newsletter.
Once everything was a little more on track, the emotion came and hit me. In the good-old-classic-way that it does with my mind: I’m really good at switching off every sentiment and staying in the ‘doing mode’ until the moment that the doing has been done and is no longer necessary. And then I feel.
And that happened on the Friday evening. I was home alone; the children were with their dad (co-parenting) and, all of a sudden, I felt somewhat scared. What is going to happen, where is this going, who might get sick and what will we do when there won’t be enough IC beds? I kept opening news app after news app on my phone and by the time I wanted to go to sleep, my mind was one big stress bomb.
Then it dawned on me that I recognized that feeling, and I thought: Hey, this is not going well. I reminded myself that I have to do things differently. I have learned so much in recent years, and have come across so many beautiful lessons in Flow about fear, stress and knowing yourself. So I took stock and told myself what I need to do now:
- Enforce a news diet on myself.
- Write so as to get all those spiraling thoughts out of my head.
- Meditate.
The next morning, I started working on all three and I felt better. And I thought: I’m certainly not the only one who is struggling like this now and looking for ways to deal with the whole situation.
That’s why, from today, you will regularly find a blog by someone from the Flow team. Because Flow is about vulnerability and accepting that everything is allowed to be. About tiny pleasures and having an eye for the beautiful things around you. About fear and confidence. About slowing down and finding new ways. About doing things differently and knowing yourself.
Over the coming period, we will share with you how we are doing in this weird, confusing time. We want to be able to be here and help support everyone – because none of us have all the answers right now.
Love, the Flow team
Text Irene Smit Translation Julia Gorodecky Image Annie Spratt/Unsplash
