Three do-able resilience tips for this latest lockdown
As we enter a second lockdown, one thing’s for sure - learning from the last time won’t be wasted.
Resilience is something that we can learn. It comes from within.
I don’t know about you, but I learned some good resilience tips and ideas during lockdown one. This time round it means I am better prepared.
Resilience tools and tips
Ask for help and support. Give help and support.
Call to Action - contact some friends or colleagues today and agree how and when you will call each other and talk about the challenges, good and bad, share stories and offer advice and support, give a listening ear. Fix a time. Stick to it.
There is a famous line of a speech delivered during the first Gulf War. ‘No plan survives contact with the enemy’.
However, making a plan is a good idea as you can factor in what went well last time - to keep; and what you need to change (it didn’t work last time).
The resilience skill to call on is adaptability.
Call to Action - learn to adapt. Be ready and prepared to go to Plan B if Plan A doesn’t work out. What is your plan B?
The third ‘A’ is attitude.
So that’s three ‘A’s.
Ask, adapt, attitude.
All within your control. All do-able each day.
It’s easy to immediately think the worst. I’ve had a few emails with phrases like ‘it was a bad weekend’ and ‘it’s going to be a difficult month’.
We are programmed as humans to default to ‘fight or flight’ mode in tough times.
We need to find the over-ride switch. The ways to do this are numerous. My tip is to:
- stop yourself (you might need to tell yourself in your head to stop),
- press pause, and,
- tell yourself to look for three things to be thankful for in that moment or for the day. Search out three positive things however small. These might need to be evidence that what you are thinking is not accurate or real. We can make assumptions and get things out of proportion too quickly in difficult situations.
If a person has done something great for you, then send them a thankyou - you’re making a positive contribution to their day as well as yours. A positive attitude changes things.
Call to Action - take a daily attitude check. Find something positive and let it frame your day. Carry the thought with you and return to it if something is challenging.
Wellbeing is everything
There’s more where this came from.
If you’d like a wellbeing conversation, get in touch. I’m here to offer advice, tips, support, a coaching session. Whatever you need.