Recently there is a lot in the media about the limitations that people experience due to the pandemic. You may experience them yourself. Then you may feel kind of robbed
– of your freedom (freedom of movement, work, vacation etc),
– of your stability and / or the familiar order of things, ways of doing,
– your positive state of mind (one feels lonely, another is agitated by suddenly being saddled up with the whole family at home for 24/7).
– of… fill it in by yourself.
There you go, you focus on what you do not have and you mourn about it. Before you know the pessimism, perhaps anxiety, even depression, sneaks in. The way we perceive the world has a major impact on our personal development, confidence and emotional stability. A great deal of it depends on the focus.
It is like with a new hobby you are interested in or a thing you’d like to have. You want a certain type of car: for example a Mercedes, preferably a blue one. From the moment you started thinking about it, it’s everywhere. How is it possible? It has been proven that if you focus on something, you will notice it more often. Happiness is therefore a conscious choice.
As for myself, I feel happy and content. I feel the optimism and have the strength and energy to search and find a bright side. Because the way you view the changes determines your future. Learning to adapt to changes is a part of it.
The changes have not so much to do with the pandemic but with the only certainty in the world: That EVERYTHING changes; during the pandemic and beyond it. “Panta rhei” (literally: everything flows). That’s what great philosopher Heraclitus said already 2500 years ago!
The changes happen constantly, big or small, in the far or near future. There are the changes that directly affect us, we can feel as a burden.
A change; what is it exactly? It is an unexpected event that turns our standard ways of life upside down. It will not be the same, it will become something new. What is new generates a spring position. It cannot be solved in the usual way. It takes extra effort and thus often a resistance.
Fortunately, we are like a reed. We have capability to let us be guided by the wind, and to respond to it.
My past experiences and the pandemic convinced me time and again that:
- In one way or another, I can handle it.
- There is always a way forward.
- Getting attached to something like places, plans, thoughts is not very useful.
- It is worth putting things into perspective and opening up to what is new.
- It is worth taking action and being flexible.Change is necessary, a natural predecessor of renewal and growth, it is the rhythm of nature and of life.
- Positive thinking is healthier for our body and mind. It generates the happiness hormone. In daily life we feel more energetic and hopeful.
- It is valuable to surround yourself with positive people (who also think positively).
- Being critical and using common sense will help separate the facts from the fables, saving unnecessary emotions.
- It is necessary to give yourself time to go through the process.
- Chasing stability doesn’t make much sense, at least not at all costs.
- Going outside (an hour in nature) leads to surprising insights and peps up our energy level.
- Letting go also offers a solution.
But how? Just like that. By starting over and over again. Would you like some usefultips, then read my previous blog post: https://coachanna.nl/en/covid-19-how-to-survive-abroad/