I bet your first thought when you read the headline was something along the lines of “is she kidding me”. “She must be totally nuts to say something like that”. “Hasn’t she heard, we are on a lockdown”
This lockdown has really caused a lot of anxiety and fear, and the torrents of questions no one could answer.
How will I stay home for so long? What will I do? How will I work? How will I find the strength to entertain my toddlers/kids/teenagers at home for ALL this time? (this one is my personal favorite). What will I do if my company/my business won’t survive the pandemic? How will I switch to this new reality? and so on and on and on.
If you are too drowning in the endless what-ifs and hows, here are the ways to calm down and even… Surpriiiise…benefit from all that uncertainty.
You see, I have this talent (my husband thinks it is a curse though), I always but always tend to look for positive sides of everything negative (thanks mom, I have had a great mentor). Anything wonderful or miserable will always and, I mean it, ALWAYS have the other side. And if we can’t influence or change a situation let’s choose to embrace the positive side of it.
And if now you are thinking, gosh, that’s another silly self-help positivity shmasitivity advice, or that this doesn’t work, and that you are smarter than that, then just close this tab and continue fearing change. Simply go on living your unfulfilled life, nagging about how much more you could have done if only the circumstances, luck, people (name it) were ideal.
But if you really, really REALLY want to take advantage of this hard situation and create an inside transformation, follow these easy steps below.
Watch your mouth!
Or better the inner voice and the self-talk. It has been proven by the endless reputable research on the matter that the way we talk to ourselves defines our thoughts and behaviors. The more negativity we pour on our own heads in any given time and situation the worse the situation becomes. Our brain is so lavishly open to take in almost everything we tell it. And we really should be nuts to not take advantage of that.
So if the only thing in our mind right now is fear and frustration which we verbalize in the endless OMGs, we are building the fear and frustration around us.
The good news is that if we change that talk and make it a little more positive, voila, our environment and the situation itself changes its core profoundly.
Don’t take my word for it! Try singing “I feel pretty” for just 2 consecutive minutes and then let’s talk about it in comments!
Be polite and say thank you
According to positivepsychology.com when we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel ‘good’. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside.
Looks like saying thank you is not just “what your mama told you” but rather a natural antidepressant, making you and everyone around you happier, calmer and ultimately better.
Take your phone (yes, the one you are holding right now read this text) and write a few “thank you” messages to your family, friends, and colleagues.
If you want to take it one step further, take a piece of paper and go ahead to state all the things you are generally grateful for in your life.
Wanna go even deeper? Mention all the things, feelings, and achievements you are grateful to yourself for!
Do this every day for the next week instead of usual ranting and complaining, and see what happens. (Spoiler alert, you are about to feel AWESOME)
Embrace the chance to reconnect & use time wisely.
Think back to a couple of weeks ago. You were spending a huge amount of time in the office, commuting to and from the office, having a social life, fulfilling social and family obligations, getting tired and nagging of being burnt out, not having enough time to spend with your kids, partner, pets, to work out or read or even write a book. Or even to take that course you have been meaning to take all this time.
You actually have a gift of time now. You have all the time you need to do what you have been dreaming, wanting, planning and sometimes fearing to have time for. You now have a chance to stop putting stuff off till tomorrow. That may even sound scary and overwhelming, but there will be no better time for those things in your life. Now the moment has come, and “hopefully” you will not be given such an opportunity ever again.
Feeling like you are not present enough in your kids’ lives? There will be no better time! Feeling like taking this online course? There will be no better time! Feeling like learning a new skill? There will be… you figured.
Use this time wisely, get brave and go live this dream of yours this very instant.
As a side note, according to Forbes, George R.R. Martin May Finally Finish ‘Winds Of Winter’ Thanks To Coronavirus… You know what I mean.
Choose to accept your circumstances
So, we said that our brain believes whatever we tell it, right? This very moment we all have of one simple choice to make: to be or not to be! To be scared, upset, negative about the turn of events or rather accept the situation and be happy to welcome the new opportunities they have to bring.
What is the point of ranting about what we all are living through? How will it help? And this very simple yet powerful question I always ask my clients “How is it serving us to do what we are currently doing?” Just ask yourself this question and see how your perspective is about to shift.
Get yourself a coach
Plan a full upgrade and hire a coach. Many coaches like myself are working with their clients online. Frankly, I work with roughly 99% of my clients online via Zoom and they change their lives in the comfort of their homes or offices.
A coach can help you soothe anxiety, address your fears, set goals, work on those limiting believes that prevent you from taking your life on another level.
There are so many wonderful coaches out there so you have myriads of choices ( like with anything else in your life by the way, but let’s leave this one for another article.