As the world comes face to face with a 1 in 100-year event, we are all coming face to face with challenges to the way we have led our lives.
Across the world, industries are shutting down, people are balanced on a precipice of fear vs rationality.
Two sentences will become synonymous with 2020.
Social Distancing
Flattening the Curve
It’s difficult to think back to NYE when I’m sure, all of us were planning a 2020 that looked very different from what we are currently experiencing.
And yet, in a strange irony, it was 31/12 when China let the WHO know of an unspecified pneumonia type that has appeared in Wuhan.
It is a time of intense emotional upheaval.
And it’s understandable. No one really feels comfortable because of the continually changing conditions. Just as we are getting used to one level of emergency response, the next one is introduced.
As it should be.
But that doesn’t make it easy for all of us to manage our own emotional states, our fears for the people we love, for the society we live in, for our homes and businesses.
The impact of Covid-19 is not just the virus itself. It is the flow-on effect to the economy and to the ability of the everyday person to pay their bills if their employment/business is impacted.
And they will be.
This is not going away anytime soon. And nobody knows how this will play out.
So, we must do what we can to prepare ourselves for a longer journey as we move through this Covid-19 pandemic situation.
One thing is certain.
We are going to see a further tightening of movement as Social Distancing becomes the norm so we can – as a world – Flatten the Curve of the impact of Covid-19 on the healthcare system.
These continual changes, the maintenance of ‘risk’ is flooding the body with the hormones attributed to survival through the continual activation of the fight or flight response. This is what we have seen play out with fights breaking out in supermarkets over toilet paper.
When Cortisol and Adrenalin flood the system, rational thought is threatened.
This situation is potentially a greater risk than Covid-19.
People who feel threatened will often condone a behaviour they would otherwise never have considered. We must do what we can – each of us, ALL OF US – to bring a sense of rationality and peace to the situation.
And each of us must work on our own mindset.
Here is a common-sense approach I recommend and am doing:
Mindset
1 – Start the day with 1 minute of gratitude
2 – Followed by a 5-minute meditation based on letting go, healing and abundance
3 – Change your information input to include a strong amount of positivity (see list below for my suggestions)
Health
4 – Drink at least 2 litres of water a day
5 – Get at least 7 hours sleep every night
6 – Eat healthily
7 – Treat each other with respect and compassion. We are all feeling the pressure of the situation.
Preparation
8– Have food stock at home (4 weeks) in the case of a quarantine situation
9 – Fill prescriptions that are needed
10 – Follow WHO guidelines
I believe that right now, we are each faced with an opportunity to demonstrate behavioural flexibility in the way we deal with stress. Perhaps your natural response has been to contract, to emotionally distance yourself, to hoard the greatest resource we all have – love.
Perhaps fear has taken its stronghold within you and you are unsure what to do next, how to proceed, how to get through this.
At this moment, we must remember that our focus will activate the part of our brain that looks for more of the same. If we are focussed on fear, we will see more things to be frightened of. If we are focussed on how we can support each other through this difficult time, we will see more of that.
Your mindset now is vital. And not just in an ethereal metaphysical way.
We know that stress depletes the immune system. And a depleted immune system is more at risk of getting sick and recovering slower.
It makes sense to focus on the things we want, to celebrate the love we all have and to look for the things we can be grateful for every day.
It improves your immunity.
Positivity protects you.
So, do that, will you? Look for gratitude, look for positivity, look for love and take care of each other.
Be safe.
Much love
Chris
Mindset Tools for Positivity
Books to Read
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As a Man Thinketh (James Allen)
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A Return to Love (Marianne Williamson)
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Finding Zero (Chris Lianos – yep that’s me)
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The Attractor Factor (Joe Vitale)
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Wishes Fulfilled (Dr Wayne Dyer)
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The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle)
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Loving What Is (Byron Katie)
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The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity (Catherine Ponder)
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The Untethered Soul (Michael A. Singer)
Podcasts
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The Naked Mindset Podcast (Yep – me again)
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The Power Prosperity Podcast (Randy Gage)
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The Joe Rogan Experience (Podcast by Joe Rogan)
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The School of Greatness Podcast (Lewis Howes)
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The Brendon Show (Podcast by Brendon Burchard)
