What are the best coping strategies you’ve learned for tough situations like the COVID-19 crisis? Changes this big happening this fast can leave you feeling out of sorts.
If you’re like me, you’re feeling a little unsettled. Maybe a lot unsettled? That’s a natural response, we’re humans after all.
Wrapping Your Head Around the COVID-19 Pandemic Isn’t Easy.
We’re getting hit by so much all at once… the news feeds are overwhelming. As long as you don’t post another How to Work from Home post, people are keeping their sense of humor on social media. But, keep your radar up for the self-anointed experts claiming to know more than the actual experts.
To help you stay on track, I’d like to share three simple coping strategies we can all use right now that will keep you grounded in these challenging times.
Here goes…
First, Limit Your Consumption of News and Social Media feeds.
Of course, you’ll want to keep up to date. But there is no need to watch every news cycle.
Yes, the situation is changing every day; but not every second, not even every hour. A good tactic is to check-in, then check-out. But, don’t over consume… you’ll just drive yourself crazy.
I should give social media credit when credit’s due for bringing a healthy dose of humor to the crisis. I’ve found myself laughing out loud a number of times now. But rest assured, social media is still social media.
Then, “Don’t go numb.”
This one comes from success coach and author, Mitch Matthews. To Mitch, going numb means, “Not in a “This morning I’m choosing to go numb” kind of way. But in a… “scroll… scroll… scroll”… [or] I’m soooooo freeeegin’ busy” kind of “numb.”
Watch out for those obsessive reactions wanting to bear their ugly heads during times of high stress.
Instead, “Choose not to go numb” by hitting the pause button. Take a timeout for some quiet time even if it’s only a few minutes, or even one minute, “…do some things to stay present, to stay in the moment.”
Finally, Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself
We need to be careful not to waste time and energy by getting ahead of ourselves. This has been a life-long tragic flaw of mine. I tend to get into a new thing and start leapfrogging ahead before I finish what matters right now.
I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”
― Mark Twain
Of course, I don’t mean to downplay the seriousness of the crisis with Mr. Twain’s quote—it’s absolutely real. Let’s remember that worry in the hands of an active imagination will create far more possibilities than eventualities.
Keeping first steps first, followed by next steps next is a simple and easy to manage coping strategy.
Each day we’re learning something new about the crisis. Today looks NOTHING like it did five days ago. That’s why I suggested in last week’s post “to slow down and make decisions based on new information and not emotion driven frustration.”
Ask, is this thing I’m worried about relevant right now?
These tips aren’t final answers. You may have others that work better for you (if you do, share them in a comment). But these are all simple, easy to use coping strategies that will help, and you can use right now.
It’s looking like we may be in for a long ride. Heeding prudent expert advice is a good thing. Do your best not to get lost in all the noise… which seems to be the only commodity currently in surplus.
This is the key question we must keep in mind and answer—What really matters right now? Then focus on that.
Be untucked. Be well.
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Copyright © 2020 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved
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