As I write this we are experiencing a global pandemic and there have been racially charged riots around the country. It feels like there is a lot going wrong in our world and if you are like me, it can impact how you feel.
In the early weeks of staying home due to Covid-19, my microwave broke. I panicked. My first thought was literally, “How will I eat? I’m going to starve!”
I realized very quickly that I was over-reacting and started problem solving instead, but it made me wonder why my mind would even go there.
I work with a lot of women who have creative minds. Their creativity is a gift that allows them to do amazing things, but sometimes they get lost in their thoughts and ideas and find it difficult to stay focused.
This happens to me too. I am an idea person. Brainstorming is one of my favorite things and my clients would tell you that some very interesting things can come out of my mind when I do this. But, I can get lost in it.
Now that it has been almost 2 months of living within a global pandemic, I am realizing there are additional consequences I hadn’t previously considered.
One is that I seem to have lost my sense of direction. Self-direction, that is.
Whether you have been an essential worker or in lock down mode Covid-19 has changed your world. For many of you, it feels like your life has been put on “pause”, leaving you with extra time to fill and new challenges to meet.
This in between time is an opportunity to listen to your heart and refresh your over-cluttered and busy life. You get to choose how you use it and what to bring forward out of it.
If you are human, you are likely experiencing some ups and downs during your Covid-19 experience. I know I am. My worldview and thoughts are mostly positive, but last Sunday I ended up having a good cry. The next day I was back to normal again.
Even if we feel we are handling these unusual times well, they may still be taking a toll on us.
I noticed that I’ve been a little more nervous and jumpy even though my thoughts are mostly positive. My comfort zone seems to be shrinking as my life gets smaller and smaller. You may be noticing something similar or completely different, but I feel sure it’s impacting you too.
Now that many of us have been staying home for awhile due to Covid-19 we can find ourselves dealing with feelings of boredom, frustration or even depression. It can be challenging to stay positive when your world has been turned upside down.
A few years back I moved to another state to be close to my family, but I remember how isolated I felt before then with no family near by. That is why my mind keeps going to the seniors, shut ins, and people alone during these trying times of Covid 19.
Many of us are staying home in cooperation with various quarantines and lockdowns due to Covid 19. This creates an unusual pause in our lives that we can fill in many ways.
Most people get restless after a few days of rest and watching Netflix. It’s an odd feeling to have a forced staycation. But, there are several meaningful ways that you can spend your time. Here are a few I’m recommending to my clients:
It seems like almost all of my coaching conversations include the coronavirus these days. Clients are expressing their own fears, frustrations over their spouses reactions and their desire for answers.
I’ve been on this earth long enough to be able to look back and have regrets about things I wasted time on. I can now see how they didn’t serve me and am amazed at the amount of time lost to them.
We all have time wasters in our lives. Things that hindered us and made us feel bad, while stealing the hours of our days.
One of the first self help books I read was “Your Erroneous Zones” by Wayne Dyer. It was the first time I realized that worrying is just a fantasy about negative outcomes and a waste of precious time and energy.
I wish I could say I never worried again, but I’m human – just like you. Most of us still spend time on negative fantasies when we get triggered and worry takes center stage. We don’t have to stay there though, once we realize it’s happening. We can shift our mind out of worry and into something better. Here are 5 ways you can do just that.
In a world where there is so much going on and most of us are flying by the seat of our pants, we seldom take time to think through what we say or do.
Yet, slowing down and being more thoughtful are just what you and your world need.
I don’t feel like putting together a nicely decorated home is one of my natural gifts. That may be why I still have some empty walls after moving into my latest house a year ago.
In the meantime, I have searched online, set up Pinterest boards, and created folders of pictures I liked. They may have given me some ideas, but they haven’t really helped. It’s possible they even created more stress, insecurity, and dilemma along the way.
You may have noticed I’ve been a little quiet lately. Usually, at this time of year I’m advocating year end processes and goal setting for the year to come. And yes, many of my clients are working diligently on these.
But for me, this year felt different. Instead of working on goals I wanted to slide gently and gracefully into the new year.
My holidays have run the gamut from being so poor I could only afford a few thrift store toys for my son to being completely overwhelmed by preparing a holiday meal, attending parties, and finding the perfect gifts for friends, family, and co-workers.
What I’ve learned is that I do best when I keep my holidays simple and close to my heart. I may be crazy, but I think that might be true for most of us. Continue reading
For me, a lack of thankfulness shows up as a sense of being disconnected from myself and my higher power. I start to get mired in what is going wrong in my life or the world. Sometimes fantasies of impending doom or victim stories play through my mind. If I let it go too long, it can turn into depression.
I don’t know what to call it, but I think you might know what I am talking about.
What I do know is that when we start to fall into this trap of negativity, the quickest path back to our true selves includes a return to gratitude. Continue reading
Throughout our days we view the world through different lenses or perspectives. There are times when those filters lead us to believe the world is against us or full of bad things and other times when we can be full of hope and possibilities.
We get to choose.
Some of my clients come to me because they feel like they have lost touch with who they are. This often happens when there has been a change in their life. Things like divorce, moving, and kids going off to college can leave you feeling kind of floaty, especially if like most women, you’ve been focusing on taking care of everyone else.