Humans have different ways to express themselves, they are touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. Touch has also been described as sparsh in Sanskrit. Touch is the heartfelt expression of our humanness. The traditional wisdom, as described in the Hindu scriptures endorsed by all cultures, says touch has many dimensions; it is therapeutic as in ‘touch therapy’, it allays fears, it reassures, it conveys approval, it enables transfer of knowledge from an exalted one to seekers, it encourages, it conveys applause, it is acknowledgement, it is caressing and above all it conveys affection and love. It thus assumes great significance in all aspects of life and can be described as all pervasive.
The spread of the novel corona virus for the past one and half year has brought about a perceptible change in the lifestyle of humans and it has become a global phenomenon. It has now become a pandemic. Consequently, the traditional, tried and tested way of life has been replaced with abundant caution. The pandemic has necessitated social distancing, wearing masks and hygiene. The pandemic has, though, made the humans understand the futility of racing against the time and work mechanically to attain goals, sometimes even impossible. In this process the niceties of the Nature, in the form of flora and fauna, have been given a go by. To illustrate the viewpoint an analogy with a cyclist would explain. A cyclist was going on a path. He observed another cyclist going ahead. The first cyclist set out to pass ahead of the other cyclist. After a few blocks he did pass ahead and felt elated. But then he realized that in the process he left the turn to his house behind besides missing on the Nature’s beauty spread all through the path. It dawned on him that in the zeal to achieve something which was not required he lost focus. The behavioural change due to pandemic has led to pause and to be mindful of the environment as well as the Nature. Moreover, the universal language of communication has been through touch, silence, tears and smile.
The moot point, however, remains that ‘Social distancing’ has created a ‘no-touch’ phenomenon thus depriving its benefits. It is now-a-days practiced only by close family members after following appropriate pandemic protocol. Touch or physical interaction is now totally absent in the daily life thereby creating a void. The ‘no-touch’ practice has led to emotional distancing as well.
The emotional distancing affects humans in a negative manner. Many a time such a phenomenon results in issues related to mind, such as low energy and no desire to move forward; if at all forward movement is necessary it will be a reluctant one. Consequently, wellbeing and growth would get impacted. There is thus a need to address this phenomenon. Coaching is a process that can help create realization and awareness to address this issue and lead the individual to the path of Growth. Coaching works on individuals so as to bring about transformation by extolling her own strengths; in such a scenario she not only owns the outcome but also is responsible and accountable to it.
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