COVID19 Mindset Hacks
Mar 24, 2020
COVID-19 MINDSET
Now more than ever, during this time of uncertainty, is it important for us to focus on our mindset.
I want to begin this episode with the disclaimer that I’m not here to wave the “oh you must think positive” flag in your face. We are in a scary, fear-filled world right now. And anything that you are feeling is justified.
Our jobs are compromised.
Our healthcare system is being taxed.
We are scared of the unknown.
We don’t know what is going to happen.
We must follow the rules of social distancing.
People are very sick.
People are dying.
People are going undiagnosed.
Face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and toilet paper are a rare commodity.
We wonder and we worry.
Who will be next?
But together, apart, we can make a difference.
My goal for this episode is to help you see that there can be a silver lining and sometimes all it takes is a shift in how we think. I’m a huge proponent of mindset. And I listen to many books and have taken many online courses that focus on mindset development - so I want to share a couple things with you that have helped me to see things through a different lens.
Let’s talk about experiences versus stories.
In the book, Chasing the Brightside by Jess Ekstrom, she explains that experiences are what happen to us. They are the things that we CANNOT control.
She gives many examples in the book but I want to apply it to what is going on right now.
This can be things like COVID-19, being laid off from work, our kids school’s closing, having to homeschool our kids, whether people follow the proper protocol for social distancing, how the president handles this scary time, who sneezes and doesn’t cover their mouth, who coughs in their hands and then goes about their day like those germs are not spreading. You get my drift. There are SOOO many things that happen to us that are out of control, right?
Those are our experiences. Our stories are how we interpret these experiences. We have a choice to tell a positive or neutral story -- OR we can associate our experiences with a negative story.
We get to choose what we see.
What we are seeing right now is LOTS of negative stories. We are in a fight or flight mode with COVID-19 - hence the toilet paper and hand sanitizer issue. When we are faced with something as uncertain as this, we allow our minds to be fed with the negative news that surrounds it so it is absolutely NORMAL to associate a negative story to your experience.
And maybe it’s not just the news. Social media can be a trap too. Everyone posting about the bare shelves in the supermarket creates a panic that if you don’t get what you need now, you will go without.
Maybe you are seeing friends bitching about having to social distance themselves and aren’t taking this seriously. Or why people are such jerks and are hoarding all the toilet paper as if their ass won’t stop spitting diarrhea for 6 months straight. OR maybe a family member has been knocked down by this virus and you’re angry that stricter measures weren’t taken sooner.
And really, this list can go on and on. All very valid reasons to feel this way. I’m not here to tell you that your way of thinking is wrong. I just want to open you to something new.
Have you taken the time to notice the other side?
Like how people band together in times of need. Communities supporting local restaurants and businesses that are afraid that their business won’t make it through this.
How many things we take for granted day to day - such as the access to food and supplies, seeing our friends, visiting family, heading into the office, the security of a paycheck, getting outside to breath fresh air, time with our kids, time for ourselves, just everyday routine that has been hijacked..
Is this how the world is slowing us down to see the magic that we normally don’t see?
Can you now see that we can tie a situation to good or bad? How you get to write the story of your experiences.
I think it’s such a powerful mindset shift and it’s something that YOU get to control in times of difficulty.
Another mindset hack is one I learned from Tony Robbins.
He stresses the importance of the WORDS we associate with our experiences.
Words are very powerful. If you think about it - they can both cut like a knife or be the source of joy. Compliment or criticize. Make you a friend or an enemy.
This is because words create meanings in our life. They help you to take an experience and make it mean something to you - whether that be good or bad. Kinda like what I just explained.
These meanings we create generate a certain set of emotions within us.
Emotions control what we do, how we behave and the results we get in life.
If you take a situation and tie it to feeling scared, fearful and pessimistic - of course you’re going to feel heavy and sad, right?
If you take a situation and tie it to a feeling of hope, content, and optimism then you can imagine that you’ll feel the opposite.
It’s the words that create the emotion.
Use the word pissed - you will create an emotion of feeling angry.
Use the word appreciated - you will create an emotion of feeling pride or love.
You follow me?
The words we use can make a situation or experience worse than it possibly is - just by the words we choose to attach to it.
The same goes for phrases. I’ll give you an example.
I’m sure you’ve heard of or even used this saying - I’m at the end of my rope! It’s one of those sayings you’ve used probably when you felt frustrated or like you couldn’t handle one more thing.
That string of words carries a lot of weight - heavy weight. Right?
It creates the meaning that things are super hard. And that meaning enforces our feelings of frustrations, hopelessness and like we’re about to lose it.
Imagine if you set that rope aside. You’d have no rope to be at the end of.
If you strung together different words that maybe expressed how you felt but weren’t so harsh. Maybe the hard wouldn’t feel SO hard.
While we are social distancing, pay attention to the words you choose, how you choose to write your stories on the experiences you are having.
Think about all the ways you’re learning how to appreciate life. Maybe it’s more time with your kids and watching them see magic in the day. Maybe it’s more time at home with your significant other.
Perhaps it’s finding gratitude in each moment you get to breath without struggle.
I’m always here to leave you with SOMETHING you can apply today that will help you. Take a moment today and think of a word that can use that will help you snap out of a negative frame of mind.
My word is BREATHE.
I use it when I feel frustrated with my husband and my kids. It grounds me to not lose my cool. And when I tell myself to breathe, it helps me to remember that I am in control of how I react to things.
And I literally give myself 5 seconds to breathe. It works. Give it a try.
If you need some community support, don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and family. We are in this together! <3 You are also so welcome to join the Table Time Exclusive Facebook Group. Request to join HERE.
I’m sending you all my love from afar. I’m thinking of you and know that as we all work together - we will appreciate that day when life allows us to go back to what seemed so normal to us.
From my heart to yours, I’ll chat with you next week. ♥︎