(Together we can shift your mindset from anxiety to joy)

 

During this trying time of protecting ourselves from the COVID-19 outbreak, many of us are experiencing an immense amount of changes and challenges.  As many consider their losses, we are seeing a myriad of responses including fear, worry, anxiety, complaining, anger, annoyance, etc. This is understandable as change is not easy for most people.  We are also a society that craves security and through this pandemic, we have been reminded that security can be disrupted….suddenly.  Being in a prolonged fight-or-flight stress response threatens to drain our energy, the energy we need to keep our immune defenses up and care for our loved ones. In this case, the stress can be just as bad if not worse than dealing with the illness. I want to comfort you and help you consider responses that may help you come in from out of the current chaos, unburden your emotions and strengthen your physical ability to stay well:

Mindset Shift #1 – Rather than focusing and ruminating on what is wrong, shift your focus to all for which you can be grateful:

1. This is likely temporary – In other countries around the world, being under the threat of disease and dying from an epidemic and famine is and has been a way of life for decades. The situation in which we are in could be worse so let’s be grateful that we are not suffering like those a Third World Country
2. You’ve been given the gift of time. As a result of being home, you are able to “get a lot of work done” that you had been putting off. This is refreshing.
3. This has forced many of us to slow down and pause instead of keeping up with a fast-paced lifestyle while rarely making time for proper recovery and replenishment.
4. If you have college kids visiting home, they are likely staying home a little more rather than rushing off in a frenzy to hang out with their friends. As a matter of fact you can make TikTok videos with them because that’s what I hear kids do with most of their time now! And if you’re not familiar with TikTok,just ask your kid(s) to be in their next TikTok video LOL!
5. We have more opportunities to extend kindness and help others – this might be in the form of sharing health or preparedness information or encouraging someone else to do the same. 

Mindset Shift #2- Shift from panic to prudence. Think about ways you can be wiser in order to prepare should an event like this occur again:

1. If you are a Parent leader, you might begin a habit of always buying an “extra” bag of frozen vegetables each time you shop and storing in your freezer. You might even invest in a deep freezer to store extra food.
2. Take time now to create your Natural Medicine cabinet. Make sure you have products on hand like Silvercillin, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Activated Charcoal, an Immune support formula, and a garlic or oregano formula.
3. If you are a Business leader or owner, focus on ways you can set up back up systems to serve your clients and protect their records.

Mindset Shift #3 – Shift from being a rescuer to being an influencer

1. Once again it is so important to prioritize your self-care. Even though you may see panic around you, do not neglect your own care.  When you give in to the demands and disregard your own space and boundaries to answer every question or call for help, you devalue your time and energy.  As you give more access, the demand will most certainly increase and you will find yourself losing time for rest, family and self-care as people send more questions. Show people that you prioritize your care in an effort to influence them to do the same.
2. Your heart to care for others may be as big as Texas but realize you are limited by a human body that needs time to be energized, rested and replenished. Respect that fact and teach others how critical it is that they respect your time to rest and replenish. 

Wisdom Source: The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 (NIV)