Disperse The Fog…
Hi There,
Did you take a stab at the habit tracker I shared last week? Developing self-care habits this way serves to strengthen your emotional resilience. And with that reinforced foundation, you can employ emotional strength to push through this transitional time, actively gaining perspective along the way.
We’re all walking around in a bit of an internal fog at the moment, with the stress hormone cortisol as the culprit. You know the feeling: You’re irritable, impatient, frustrated, helpless, judgmental or anxious, even believing things that aren’t real or true.
But if you catch yourself, you can disperse that fog and see what’s real with better clarity. Easier said than done, but once you’ve hooked your attention, I invite you to employ one of three self-check techniques for determining greater reality:
1. Join me on the balcony, a favorite client perch: When you find yourself stressed, imagine looking down from a balcony upon the current situation and ask yourself, “What part of this CAN I manage?” That can include YOUR energy, YOUR self-care, YOUR focus and attention when you’re working, and YOUR being present when connecting with family and friends. Then consider what you CAN’T manage, like the uncertainty of COVID-19, the return to “normal”, the political climate….make your own list.
2. Clarity During Crisis: Once you zoom out and decide what you can control, zoom back in and hyper-focus on those items, one step at a time. It’s like looking at your feet, when running up a big hill, instead of staring at the far-off summit.
3. Your Emotional Resilience Reps: Since emotions are contagious, I’m personally motivated to halt the slow creep of my pesky negativity bias. Whereas I can’t control what others are thinking, feeling and doing, I can determine what’s within my control and what’s not. LESS tv news and politics, MORE outdoors time and connection with loved ones; LESS perfectionism, MORE appreciation.
How can you keep yourself emotionally strong? Next, we’ll look at some emotional resilience exercises to manage tough times.
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524