How many times have we heard motivational speakers say if we change our mindset, we can change anything? I have said it myself numerous times, and now I am really checking this statement out to see if it is true. Does it work in every circumstance?
I will use myself as an example; I love going out for coffee with friends, cruises, giving speeches and working with people. When I am speaking with people, I will often touch their shoulders or arms, it is my way of connecting, as I am very people orientated, this is obvious as I have been a social worker for over 30 years.
But! Here we are – people – social distancing, wearing masks, don’t even hug your mother they say, we don’t go out into the community, we order everything online we need, and have it delivered to our homes, in fact, stay at home is the advice we are given.
What about you? What have you had to give up, to change, to adapt to, and how are you managing it? It is not just changing how we think and act, it is about changing our identity in a way. Part of my identity is not about staying home all the time; I love to dance, travel, hang out with friends, go on cruises, catch a plane from time to time, and much more.
So how do we manage not to sink into major depression, no matter how hard we try to change our mindset, when the COVID-19 environment does not appear to be easing up. How long can we hold out? I mean, the reliable old expressions like ‘this too shall pass’ might no longer have meaning.
It does not matter if you are extremely confident or have low self-esteem, we all have the same enemy to defeat, COVID-19, and some of us find it harder to deal with than others.
Yes, we must do the social distancing and wear the masks etc, and I will leave all the health tips for the medical profession to advise you.
But I would like to give you 4 tips that has helped me, and hopefully it will give you a boost too.
Tip 1: This is a time to work on and improve yourself, to develop skills you never thought about before, learn as much as you can from the internet, if you can’t go out, you can certainly prepare yourself with knowledge when the time comes to venture out.
Tip 2: Get healthy or healthier; exercise, and eat well, it will make you feel better, and if you are angry about the situation, walk it off. Yes, you can be active! I have walked up and down my veranda, and when I get angry because I cannot exercise with friends because of covid-19, I walk faster, which in turn is making me fitter. I know, I am still not doing things with friends, but I am getting fitter and prepared for the time when we do hang out together.
Tip 3: Never give up! A cure might be found, so take care of yourself until then. If you are feeling lonely, think you cannot manage, ring someone and just chat, it’s not as good as meeting someone, or having a hug, but better than being alone and miserable!
Tip 4: I know we can’t hug everyone we want too because of social distancing, but for the people you can hug safely, hug them more often and really appreciate them more.
Well, you might say; my tips are still not helping you to live to your full potential, and you might be right! There are times in life when we have to sit back, make an assessment of ourselves and the environment around us, improve where we can, accept what is out of our control and move forward in an unexpected way we had not planned. For the moment, live to your full potential within the situation you find yourself.
So, get healthy, do not give up, hug those you can more often, and be creative and think of ways you can live to your full potential in a sick world. How can you help heal the world? Heal yourself first; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Once you are feeling good despite the environment, tell others about these tips or your own tips to inspire others to survive, then thrive.
Take care of yourselves everyone.
Delece Ford
