Step 1:Take Action (To get out of your comfort zone)
Achieved!!!
We do not always control what pushes us out of our comfort zone. However, the two things we can control in any situation is how we think and how we feel. Jack Canfield describes this best as E+R=O. Event + Response = Outcome. Too often we focus on blaming the event that we can’t control (coronavirus) vs. our response to the event (our mindset), and our mindset is the only thing we can control to determine our mental outcome.
Step 2: NIP Fear in the Bud(When you are out of your comfort zone)
Using NIP Fear in the Bud can help you overcome fear as it continues to creep up through these days and weeks ahead.
Not Alone
Just knowing that we are going through this with hundreds of millions of people over the world right now gives us strength. For example, I can see a hundred balconies from my apartment, and at any given time, there are several people doing some sort of solo workout. Leaning on our community is more important now that it ever has been.
I Will Get Through This
You have been through many challenging times in your life and you have gotten through them. While none was like this, certainly many times things seemed bleak and hopeless, but you overcame it. Below are 4 mental strategies you can use to get through this time:
1. Fill Your Bucket – The number #1 way to fill your bucket and give yourself positive energy is to focus on filling other peoples buckets with positive reinforcement. You see someone doing some good during this time, let them know. In times of stress, giving others compliments will reduce your anxiety by focusing on others vs yourself.
2. Go 21 Days Without Complaining – This is a challenge that is almost next to impossible. While there is more than enough to complain about these days, doing a daily challenge of zero complaints is a way to keep focused. While a single complaint does not feel like a lot, overtime these complaints lead to more stress and anxiety.
3. Show Gratitude for 90 Days – This is easier said than done. Focus on three things you are grateful for each day. Try not to repeat yourself in the days ahead. In the same way that it is impossible to frown and smile at the same time, it is very hard to be grateful and stressed at that same moment.
4. Dedicate Yourself To Journaling – Research has shown that daily journaling is a leading form of stress reduction. Now more than ever is a time to give it a go. Start easy, reflect on the day before, begin at the night and work your way backwards to the morning. As an added bonus, you will be able to reflect on these journals in the years to come.
Play the Part
Play the part as a confident, positive person during this time. Pretend to look back after we get through this period and share the story on how you play this part. Tip: Keep news reading to a minimum will help you here.
Step 3: Find Your Focus (While you are out of your comfort zone)
During this time, our number one focus should be creating a schedule ahead of time and doing our best to keep our commitment to it. It is up to you whether you do this the morning of, the night before, or at the beginning of the week. We would all agree there is a completely different feeling of going through the day when we have no clear direction versus having focus. I care less that we are able to keep our commitment to it all, and more so that we have a plan as a framework.
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