‘I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside.’ Quote by Wayne Dyer.
Many of us are feeling anxious at the moment, even if this has not been an issue in the past. And it is OK! Any feelings we have during this pandemic are justified and real. So many people are living with the threat of illness or illness itself. So many families are living through bereavement and loss. Many of our family and friends have serious concerns over their jobs and finances. We do not know what the future will look like, we don’t have any idea when we will be able to meet again with our loved ones. How could we not feel anxious?
But for some people anxiety is a norm. They have been living with it all their lives and now is an ideal time for us to learn coping strategies which have proved to be helpful.
There are so many ways we can work to reduce our anxiety levels and many of us have embedded them into our daily lives with or without knowing. Mindfulness, yoga, exercise are practices many of us enjoy, and which I have written about before, but in this blog I am going to focus on 3 further areas which can be useful. The good news is that we can all improve our coping strategies!
Firstly, take control of your situation and start something new. I know myself that the main reasons I am feeling anxious at the moment is because I have no control over what is happening regarding the virus. I am taking each day as it comes because there is no certainty for the future, whereas normally I map out my life for the coming months. However, I can take some control in my life by trying something new and by accepting that I may be really bad at it, and that’s OK! An attitude of ‘do it badly rather than not at all’ can lead to nothing but improvement. Many of us put off a new venture because we feel the ‘time is not right’ that we ‘need to know more’ or are ‘too busy’, before we take that first step. So now when our routines have been completely thrown out of the window, is a wonderful time to start something new. For me, it is learning about communication platforms, such as, ‘Zoom’ and ‘Microsoft Teams’. Anyone who knows me well, on reading this, will already be laughing out loud, as technology is definitely not a strength of mine! But, so what? I want to try these systems and now is a great time as we need different ways to stay in touch when we have to stay at home.
I am sure it will take a while to get the hang of these, my first attempts have not been the most successful, but that is OK. I am trying something new and I will improve.
Idea for today: Try something new. ‘Anything worth doing is worth doing badly the first time!’ G.K. Chesterton.
Secondly, forgive yourself for mistakes you have made in the past. Accept that we all make mistakes, it is how we learn and develop empathy. However, if we spend too much time dwelling on these mistakes we can begin to feel useless and hopeless. In those periods when we find ourselves remembering and becoming anxious, turn those thoughts around. Try to find something positive from those mistakes. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I can explain those situations to myself by using this mindset. We need to forgive ourselves, be compassionate and move on.
Thirdly, have a purpose in life. Research shows that people who have a ‘meaningful life’ live longer and are happier than those who feel they have no purpose. If we can find something which is ‘bigger than ourselves’ to work towards we give ourselves goals and the opportunities to enjoy a sense of achievement. In these times of COVID19, we are seeing so many examples of this…people helping their elderly or vulnerable neighbours, people volunteering to deliver prescriptions and organising foodbanks and, of course, the brave and incredible NHS and other keyworkers. Even if no one else knows of your kindness and purpose, the fact that you know, is enough to make sense and purpose of your life.
So in these strange times of fear and uncertainty we can take action to lower our personal anxieties and that has to be a positive for all of us.
Stay home, stay safe.
Want to Explore this Further?
Watch this Ted Talk
How to cope with anxiety (Olivia Remes | TEDxUHasselt)
Take Action
If you want to work with me, contact me on isabel@norfolklifecoach.co.uk
Or visit my website https://www.norfolklifecoach.co.uk
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