There’s no doubt the future seems uncertain and stormy. Which is why there’s never been a better time to look for the rays of sunshine that are hiding behind the clouds. If you’re reading and listening to the news at the moment, chances are your thought patterns have been rocked by fear and anxiety.
Buddha once said:
"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think."
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation has lots of synergy with how I felt two years ago after experiencing an unexpected health issue. My world was turned upside down with fear and helplessness. My cardiologists said I was days or weeks away from collapsing and never waking up!
I took it step-by-step and survived. Now I am thriving with purpose, positivity and a new appreciation of the little things we take for granted. In fact, it turns out the little things are the BIG things – health, family, friends, deep breaths, nutrition, sleep, water, movement, a sane mind and, of course, reams of toilet paper.
So how did I move on from going to bed at night half expecting to not wake up in the morning? From being scared to breathe in deeply? From plugging in the emergency phone number each time I left the house?
The answer is that it didn’t happen overnight, the more I stretched myself, the more resilient and stronger I become. Firstly, you need to be selfish. If your finite pool of energy is being vampired by negative thoughts and selflessly focussing on others, you will eventually need to recharge (or risk collapsing). It’s important to remind yourself that if you’re being drained, you will not be able to help others to the best of your ability. So please help yourself first. That may be achieved by a walk around the block, a bath, a five-minute meditation (there are plenty to choose from on YouTube), journaling (downloading) or sneaking a hot drink into a private room.
One of my key life-saving techniques involved rewiring my self-talk. Negative thoughts manifest themselves in the body, so choose to be positive. It’s easy to say this, but hard to achieve. That’s why I systematically re-programmed my brain with new quotes and mantras from all over the world. You’ll find some here on my website. They may sound corny or feel uncomfortable to say at first, but just do them for a week at least ten times a day and you will see a difference. Here is the latest mantra that I have created for these crazy and challenging times. Feel free to use it or create something else that speaks directly to you.
I am strong. I am getting stronger every day.
Be sure to manage your mind and take care in these uncertain times.
Stay safe, Jason.
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