Change can be a great thing if we are in control of what it is and how it’s done, but when change is thrown at us out of our control
it can be harder to deal with. From the big things like losing a job, splitting up with a partner/wife/husband, having to move because the landlord is selling up to the supermarket changing its layout or roadworks appearing on a daily route.
Right now we are all being hit (in many different ways) by the Covid-19 pandemic and each and every one of us will be dealing with what that brings to us differently. Even though it is affecting billions of us worldwide in many life changing ways, the pandemic will trigger varying emotions, reactions and knock on effect changes in us that will be different to people around us. It is a shared problem that is being handled in many different ways. So, we are better off not comparing our reactions to those of others, and concentrate on how we are affected by the changes and what we can to do about it all, so that we can be as content as possible.
Due to Covid-19 pandemic, I can’t freely… go on holiday abroad as the flight is too risky. I can’t freely sit in my old favourite restaurant as it doesn’t feel safe. I can’t freely hug my father for fear of passing on the virus if I caught it. I can’t freely see my clients as I don’t have the space to keep them or myself safe…
It is so easy to concentrate on what we cannot do, but what about what we can do? Things we are used to doing are not the same right now, and we can compare how it is now to our freely enjoyed past experiences, which can make us feel worse. So we either get our heads around the new way of doing or experiencing those things or find new things to do that have no ‘memories’ or comparisons attached to them.
So, maybe try doing something new?
If we are hit with other changes, such as the ones I noted above, again we can concentrate on what we are losing or we can look for ways we can make the most of the situation. I realise this is not always possible, but if we lose a job, it could be an opportunity for trying something new, or going for a job that’s better paid for example. If we have to move home, perhaps we can find somewhere that offers something we haven’t had like better neighbours or a garden.
Thinking again to the lockdown or current Covid-19 safety restrictions, in various ways it can be linked to causing:
Ask yourself questions.
For everything… ‘I don’t feel safe doing…’ think of something ‘I do feel safe doing…’ Turn it around. Find new ways of thinking.
For everything I feel ‘I can’t do…’ think of things ‘I can do…’
Think outside the box and find new ways to ‘live life’. It has to be better than getting frustrated, angry, resentful, sad and isolated.
Easier said than done at times, I know, but if it benefits us in the long run, what is there to lose?
Take care,