Feeling the storm: why we need the turbulence as well as the pauses

Last Saturday I sat outside for an hour while the wind gusted around me. This was a rare (if chilly) treat. No kids, no book, no radio, no journal, no coffee. I just sat there and observed what was happening around me and within me. 

I wanted to share some of my reflections before the glorious sunshine returns.

I love the sunshine. But the changeable, dramatic weather we have had in the last week has better matched the volatile moods I have experienced since lockdown. 

Humans, like the earth, need all weathers. Perpetual sunshine is not sustainable. Although painful, we sometimes need the strong winds to blow away the dead leaves and wake us up to what is really important. We need rain to cleanse and nourish the ground and freshen the air we breathe, even though sometimes we feel flooded and overwhelmed during the downpour. And we need the dark clouds that pass over the sun, enabling us to see the real colours and shapes that are sometimes masked by the dazzling sunlight. 

We need time to sit in the wind or the storm sometimes, to feel it, to listen to it, to observe it, to learn from it. To wrap ourselves up and feel the difficult emotions we have been ignoring or suppressing in our attempts to be sunny and positive.

I spent a long time watching the small cherry blossom tree in my back garden as it responded to the strong gusts of wind. I’m always struck by the resilience of trees - they face and withstand stormy winds, maybe losing some leaves or twigs, but springing back to their recognisable shape.

Like trees, finding pauses between the gusts of wind that are battering us allow us some time to recover and reflect, and ready ourselves for the next onslaught. How can you find small pauses in this extreme, dramatic weather storm that is Covid? 

The wind is gusting outside as I write this. I encourage you to take the opportunity to go outside for five minutes (or as long as you can spare). Experience it, sit with the discomfort, and let it help you to listen inwardly to your own weather patterns. 

Curious to learn more? Book onto my upcoming virtual workshop on Building Team Resilience during Uncertainty here (9.30-11.30am BST, Tuesday 14th July).

Thanks to School of the Wild and Dark Mountain Project for their lovely ‘Coming back to Earth’ nature workshop that prompted me to spend a rare hour outside, alone and in silence.