I look back at an article I wrote well over 12 months ago now, when we really had just started the Covid journey that we still find ourselves in. I remember being stuck on a boat, floating in the ocean, prohibited from setting foot on land, at the time I was writing this article. My year had blown up in my face, and I had no real idea when I would be able to get home again. You can read that article here.
I read that article back now, and I remain insanely proud of how I showed up. Navigated change. Gave myself permission to feel whatever I needed to feel in a particular moment, but then continued to move forward. To persevere.
HOWEVER.
There is also a huge part of me, and I know of many of you too given this new article was a special request from a few of you, that would read this article back now 18 months on, and just think HOW.
How do we just continue to Accept the Reality and keep Leaning IN.
18 months into this and so many things still feel uncertain.
Making solid plans is still near impossible.
And the toll on the mental health of people all across the globe is inconceivable.
Now, this article is by no means geared towards having an opinion on how governments should be running things, or what they should be doing differently. I am no expert on the matter, and quite frankly there are enough ill-informed keyboard warriors out there as it is, without me needing to add to the mix with my emotionally based opinions.
What this article IS about though, is you.
If I can continue to help one person to show up, reach out for support and keep moving forward in times of uncertainty, then that is a win.
I am also not going to tell you in this article to eat well, exercise, practise self-care, and get lots of sleep, because I think we are all more than aware of that.
What I do want to do, is to try and help you feel heard. And to give you a couple of tips and strategies that you may find useful in continuing to try and navigate the uncertainty, not with ease or grace, but just to navigate it at all.
So, from me to you – here are a couple of things that I have tried, and that have worked when I’ve felt stuck, unable to plan anything, or when my own mental health has felt less than peachy.
- Have a plan for your plan – Making plans for the future, and for things that excite us is important, however, the frustration and angst when those things can’t happen, sometimes can make us feel like it isn’t worth planning anything at all. One of the strategies I have started implementing which I have found helpful is to have a plan for my plan. What do I mean by this? Well, let’s say the plan I did have – going away for the weekend, running a workshop face to face with clients etc, doesn’t go ahead. I already have a fun-filled plan of something else that I’ll get to do instead. This eases my anxiety of the uncertainty, and how I’ll deal if things don’t work out, but either way I also know I have something to look forward to.
- Be ruthless in what you surround yourself with – This one is SO important, particularly with the number of soapbox warriors out there at the moment, so it is critical my friend that you are ruthless with what content you expose yourself to. Social media is a hugely powerful tool, but so often we forget that we are in complete control of what and who we choose to see, and we let social media happen TO us, instead of being in control of it instead. We literally have the ability to curate our world, and the lens through which we view it – so use this to support yourself, not expose yourself to unfounded information, or 24/7 Covid updates which are likely to exacerbate your feelings of anxiety and uncertainty.
- Make a list of what you CAN control. I promise you there are many things! Although it absolutely feels like at the moment that there are so many things outside of our sphere of control, there are also a number of things that ARE in our control. I find making a list of these things from time to time helps me put into perspective the feelings of uncertainty, and grounds me a little more in terms of what I can influence.
- Let go of the extremes – Living in extremes, can sometimes mean something can only be either A or Z, black or white, 0 or 1. Something is either completely certain and if it is not that, then it therefore must be completely uncertain. I have found these last 18 months, that accepting the ‘grey’ has provided an opportunity to be more present. Focussing on being ok with ambiguity, when my natural tendencies are to have complete clarity on what is to come. I’ve realised that the only person who was losing out of holding on to that need in the covid world, was me, because it no longer exists. Additionally, loosening my grip on what MUST be, has allowed more space for things to just BE as they are, which in itself has led to a number of surprising and positive opportunities.
We are all on our own journey when it comes to dealing with the world we now live in. My biggest piece of advice is to feel what you need to feel and reach out to people to talk. No one should be going through this alone, and there is always someone ready and willing to sit (even virtually!) with you and listen.
Please reach out to me here if I can support you in any way.
Additionally, there are no shortages of organisations here for you too:
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
https://www.lifeline.org.au/
https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
