Transition Tips for Covid19 or... Life in General

We find ourselves many weeks into the newish normal – or like I prefer to say, our next normal. We are probably facing a few iterations of life over the coming months…. I don’t like to say new normal but rather the “NEXT NORMAL”. This works for me to reframe and contextualize the constant changes that we face as the human race.

None of us are strangers to transitions. We experience changes all the time, but most of the time we love the transitions that we set in motion, but when we are forced into a change we didn’t create, we feel a strong internal – even physical – rejection to the notion! Who dares make me change without my permission!

Our biggest fears are being tested with the Covid19 situation – but with more trust in your strengths and your personal experience of being resilient, you will succeed through the Next Normal.

Here are a few tips and ideas to think through of the next few days 

1. Recap your strengths: take stock of your strengths. To remind you, check out www.viacharacter.org – take the free assessment. Your top 5 strengths are your “secret sauce” that you should add to all that you do 

2. Keep these truths in mind during transitions, we all face them:

• Transitions take time: don’t expect too much of yourself and others as in regular circumstances.

• Recognize small achievements and progress. Progress is….progress.

• Emotions. Acknowledge the tough emotions (that’s easy) but remember to enjoy the good emotions you are feeling too.

• You aren’t alone – we are all going through this together. This is also comforting to know.

3. Next normal… Get back to basics: prioritize sleep, diet, relax and exercise.

4. Create more, consume less: use this time to pursue something creative (draw, paint, write, build a puzzle, make a model…). Consuming all the information and news is overwhelming and also totally pointless. Nobody has the monopoly on the truth about what the future holds for you.

5. Help others. This needs no comment.

6. Reflect on what skills, ideas and perspective from your own personal life story have helped you through transitions. I have a cool exercise to help you do this – reach out if you want it.

7. Three gratitudes: spend 5 minutes before you head to sleep to write down (type in your Notes application on your phone), 3 things you are most grateful for each day. Research has shown that this exercise, when completed for 12 weeks, shows visible changes in brain activity for positive coping.

8. Check your influences: be mindful of influences from family, friends and colleagues at this time. Make your own mind up and chose what is right for you.

9. Set goals. Enough said.

10. Recap your achievements before you go to bed each day (with your three gratitudes).

Be well and safe, we are in this together for the long haul. Reach out if you need a coffee (electronically for now).