Discover six things that can help you in these tough times.
It's definitely a weird time at the moment.
In the last few weeks - in fact scrap that - in the last few DAYS our life has been flipped and turned upside down.
Many of you are feeling massively lost. Stripped of your identity and actually thrusted into a whole new world by something entirely outside of our controlled something that you were not prepared for. But we will all manage and we will all get through this.
I feel the frustration and the struggle, the sadness and every other emotion that comes with it.
We’re scared of what we’ve lost
We’re fearing what we think we will loose.
We hate the loss of control.
We're bargaining, wishing things would go back to the way they were.
All this ^^ is grief.
And it’s completely understandable. But is there anything we can do? Below I have talked about six things that may serve you at this time.
The first is to be kind - to yourself and others. We’re all going through a collective change at the moment and that is palpable. Now, more than ever, we need that speak of compassion that we can all muster. A kind word or gesture in these times will go a long way.
The second is acceptance. There is a lot we cannot control at the moment and that is something we should accept. The flip side to this is that there is much you can control - especially your thoughts and actions.
Now, there will be days were you feel like hiding under the covers. Other days you will be up and about getting stuff done for work. Another day you may want to binge on those Netflix series you’ve been hoarding for the quiet time that never comes. Which of these is the right choice? The answer is whichever one serves you in the moment. Honour that and accept it. You won’t be the only one feeling that way and by avoiding the right/wrong labelling will really serve you.
The third thing is to make sure you care for yourself. This concept of self care (it’s more than a concept really - it’s a necessity)is not a new one and it covers a range of things: sleep, nutrition, exercise, relationships, sleep… so many things. Importantly it’s about the self care of your mental health, managing the six inches of real estate between your ears.
For me self care means exercise, reading and daily meditation (the sleep I am still working on). For you it could mean something different. Try a few things on for size and see how you get on.
The fourth thing is talking.
Staying silent at the moment doesn’t serve and for those people who are not heard, it’s like they are invisible. Find someone that you can talk to. This could be family, friends or colleagues. People who you can trust and who you can ask for help from if needed, and make sure you do the same.
The firth thing is making a choice. A choice about how you want your future to be.
We spend so much time living in the past and letting our past decisions, and even to some degree, our current environment dictate who we are as a person. And in my opinion that doesn't serve us and doesn't help us.
We all have a vision, a destination for us to aim for. It’s a bit like a sat nav in the car - you put in your destination and it tells you how to get there.
Knowing where you are going makes choosing the route much easier. What habits will you need? What skills will I need? What help will I need? You may feel there’s no future at the moment, but take a moment to look forward and see what habits, skills and help you can choose to implement now.
The final thing is to take consistent action every day. No matter how small. Pick something, do it daily, make it a habit.
Now those things above are really only a small selection of the stuff that you can do.
What’s going on currently is far from great, but there are some really cool gems that are hidden in the rough, and a lot of people have been given time to explore this.
I know that this stuff will help you, because it’s stuff that helps me on a daily basis.
Try them and see how you get on.
If I can help at all, then get in touch.