I recently put up a few hooks by my front door to hold the face masks that my family now wears when we go outside. I assess how busy a street or location looks before deciding whether to walk over or not. My family and I have daily discussions on the best 20-second song to sing while washing our hands.
Life has changed a lot over these last few months and will continue to do so. No matter where you are in the world, things are different out there. In the past, we could avoid change by sticking to our routines and things we found familiar. But now, there’s just too much happening to avoid it.
Those who struggle with change are having a tough time right now. Even those with good coping skills are looking for new ones to help them navigate these turbulent times. We could all use some help in being more resilient, so here are a few healthy practices you can use to increase your resiliency levels and cope with change.
Learn What You Can Control
It’s easy to get worried and anxious about events or situations that we cannot control. That’s why we get upset about things we see on the news or social media. We have no power to dictate how they unfold.
Instead of spending over two hours on social media every day getting worked up about events happening elsewhere, try to emulate resilient people. They look at what they can control and focus on that by asking themselves, “What can I take responsibility for in this situation?” Resilient people understand that they’ll feel better when they empower themselves to work towards change that’s possible and ignore what they can’t.
Acknowledge Your Feelings
Change, even positive change, can make us feel a little sad. During these times of change, don’t push away your feelings. Acknowledge how you’re feeling and seek to learn what you can from the experience.
For example, after finishing a big work project, I often feel a little lost. It took me a while to recognize what it was, mini grief for the end of the project. Now that I know, I build in a couple of light workdays into my schedule, where I focus on other work tasks to help ease the transition.
Be Present
When we could go to concerts, I’m always surprised at how many people spend the show with their smartphone in the air recording it. People are so worried about FOMO (the fear of missing out) that they want to capture the moment so they can re-live it later. What about living it during the show? Why buy a concert ticket if you were going to watch it on your phone anyways?
These people are stuck on their future activities and are ignoring what’s going on right in front of them. Likewise, when you worry too much about the future, about the mistakes you’ll make, or what will happen next. You forget to be present now. And that’s not entirely our fault. Times of great change tend to pull us too much into the future because things are dynamic and fluid.
Resilient people can ignore the future, for a while at least, and be present. They take time to relax and decompress regularly. Some use meditation to help with this, while others go for walks in nature or have tech-free hours where they log off all technology. Do whatever works for you to help reset your mind and get you back to the present.
Prepare for the Future Now
In the early days of the pandemic, businesses were scrambling to shift their teams to remote work. Moving data to the cloud, setting up remote work infrastructure, creating emergency call trees, and more. Many of these things, however, were activities they could have benefited from even in “normal” times and then be prepared when the unexpected did happen.
The same applies to our lives. Eating healthier and being active can help us be healthier and prevent illness (or decrease it if something does happen.) Putting aside some savings can help us prepare for short-term dips in income. When it comes to our work, we should enjoy where we’re at and also prepare for the future. Remember, “the best time to look for a job is when you don’t need one.” Keep an eye out for networking opportunities at all times and plant those seeds as you go. When you prepare today, the future is much easier to deal with, no matter what happens.
Life is changing pretty fast right now, and it’s hard to deal with. The only thing we can be sure of is that life won’t be the same. By doing things that are good for us now, we’ll be more resilient and able to deal with whatever comes our way. It applies to our health, careers, personal lives, and business too. The best way to deal with the unexpected is to be prepared, so we can make life better today and ensure we’ll be okay if the unexpected occurs.