HOW ARE YOU COPING?
Advice on making it through the covid-19 pandemic...
Diamonds are considered to be one of the world’s oldest, strongest treasures, having been formed over 3 billion years ago, deep below the Earth's surface.
The life of a diamond begins with a sudden disruption, and for billions of years thereafter they go through conditions of intense heat and tremendous pressure.
When the turmoil ends and the process of transformation is complete, a diamond emerges stronger, purer, and brighter. Diamonds have a natural resilience. Stress and change bring out their true strength, value and worth.
“A Diamond was once a piece of charcoal, it handled stress so well, it not only survived, it transformed”
The virus has had profound effects on every aspect of our day to day lives. The global impact on our health, employment, income and livelihood has induced panic, fear, anxiety, and stress.
We have a choice. We can give up and give in or we can find the strength to continue, allow our OWN resilience to surface.
Change is experienced by everyone (personally and professionally). Some people find change to be an energiser, a motivator, and may seek out change and appear to thrive on it. For others change is experienced as exhausting and demotivating, something to put up with and be endured. Knowing how change affects you can help you in determining your own strategies that will help you find your resilience.
New new rules for a new way of life
Understanding the subconscious processes associated with a life changing crisis...
We know that a transition has begun and we attempt to let go of what has to change, to accept that it has to change, and try to figure what steps need to be taken in order to do so.
Secondly, we recognise the ‘space’ between the old and the new. The old is gone, but the new is not yet fully established, and the ‘compass’ not yet set.
The last step is where we recognise the establishment of a new compass, new understandings, values, attitudes, and identities.
As with all trauma experienced, an emotional and mental process is necessary in order to recover and heal , but the amount of time we take in each step of the process will vary based on the type of change we are experiencing, as well as on our individual personalities and life experiences. Some people find it extremely difficult to make the transition from one step to the next, sometimes just taking that first step is a lengthy and impossible process. Whatever our reaction to change, in order to succeed, we have to remain resilient, we have to sustain energy and motivation during times of stress.
Practicing Five Key Stress Resilience Skills will help:
1. Self-awareness, focus on your reactions.
2. Stability – are you becoming less rigid and increasing your flexibility to new habits and routines
3. Letting go (1) – physically
4. Letting go (2) – mentally
5. Developing & sustaining a positive attiitude and healthy emotional state of mind.
“It’s your reaction to adversity,
not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.”
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf
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