Lockdown ‘Lessons for Life’

How’s the ‘Lockdown’ going for you then? Enjoying it a little, or are you slowly going crazy?

During these strange times people are experiencing all kinds of emotions and I am no exception. I have mixed emotions for sure, especially after learning that our clinics are now closed until June! Obviously I’m anxious that my business is closed and that our patients are missing out on the care they need. But as always there is balance if you look for it, and I’m finding little positives everywhere I look. Maybe I can help you also take a bit of a look on the bright side.

We know that stress is everywhere and this ranges from mild anxiety to real fear, fear mostly of the unknown. I decided that what I was going to do was to take this opportunity to learn more about this subject. My goal was to learn how to be more in control of my emotions. I know I get emotional at times and I think it helps me empathise with patients. However, I’m thinking that this needs to be a time when I get these emotions in check. Obviously being stressed and fearful helps no-one, but worse still, it is proven to be extremely unhealthy. 

Emotions are feelings and they tend to put you in a certain ‘state’, whether it is joy, love and happiness at one end of the spectrum or emptiness, fear and anxiety at the other end. 

We should realize that our feelings drive our thoughts, which in turn drive our actions, which will always determine our outcomes.

Emotions > Thoughts > Actions > Outcomes

This basically means that if we can get to grips with our emotional state then we can litterally transform the results we see in life. And, this of course can be applied to both our personal and professional lives.

We need to be aware that stress comes from external stimuli (just watch the news on the TV – that’ll do it) or internally by our perceptions; how our mind reads situations is usually dependent on our feelings.

We all see things through different lenses and how we experience our own personal lockdown will be very different for each of us. For sure many are enjoying the ‘down-time’ spending the time with their loved ones whist at the same time many are praying for the restrictions to be lifted.

I made a conscious decision at the beginning to try and make the most of it, and despite a few frustrations I’m feeling like I’ve achieved quite a lot already. I also think I’ve learned some things about myself that I can use to improve my life going forward.

Here’s my simple strategy I’ve developed for controlling my emotions:

1) Be aware of the situations that make you feel anxious and avoid them.

So for example right now I’m trying to limit how much news I’m watching. Most of it is repetitive, inaccurate and sensationalist. It’s designed to trigger an emotional response so my advice strongly would be to limit your exposure. Sure, do keep up with things, but don’t binge on it.

2) Modify your expectations. 

If you aim for the stars but only land on the moon see that as a win and worth celebrating. As long as you are moving forward. I make my list for the day and if I get through it I feel great. However, if I fall short because something got in the way then that’s also OK because I still made some progress. Get used to NOT beating yourself up!

3) Shift your focus. 

By being aware of what makes you feel anxious you can actively concentrate on other things. I have made it one of my mantras in life that I look for the positive in any given situation. What a difference this has made to every area of my life; I thoroughly recommend you try it. Is it easier said than done? Yes, but things that are good are worth the effort. If you take little steps, set reminders and keep getting back ‘on track’ you will gradually create ‘positivity circuits’ in your brain. Then you enter the promised land and life becomes your metaphorical ‘bed of roses'.

4) Change your thoughts 

What drives our emotions are generally our underlying fundamental beliefs. For example, you may feel sad or anxious if you believe you are missing out on something. If you concentrate on your loss of freedom or perhaps your reduced wages at the moment, then that will of course trigger these feelings. Instead you should try and acknowledge some of the good things that are happen right now. I’m spending more time with my family and loving it. I’m exercising and reading and writing. I’m learning new skills and I’m finding time for myself for the first time in ages. I’m not spending any money and that feels good – we all spend too much on things we don’t really need. 

I’m even putting together a list of things I want to continue when I get my wings back!

To repeat my favourite quote, Wayne Dyer once said “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change”. He was so right. If you change the way you look at the world, so that you search for the good in any situation, then your life transforms into that amazing, beautiful adventure it was meant to be.

5) Change your response.

By working on your awareness, you can learn to recognize these emotions that keep hi-jacking your life. Take three deep breaths and smile and say “ I see you and I know what you are doing. I am too strong for you. I let you go and I look for something more worthy of my attention.” Practice this and you’ll soon see, learning to seek the positive in any situation just may become the greatest transition in your life!

Obviously no single change will cover every situation and this is why I have listed five of the ‘mindset’ changes I use. I think the most important word here is ‘AWARENESS’. Try and be more conscious if you like, but certainly, once you are aware of the situations that push your buttons, life becomes easier to navigate and you’ll find the path much smoother.

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