After months of lockdowns and restrictions returning to our new normal may take more than a wardrobe change. Our mindsets may need a tune up as well. Are you ready to go from blah to A-ha?
For many of us languishing at home in our casual pants has been a large part of the past 16 months. It has been hard to look forward to anything with the uncertainty of lockdowns. However, as vaccines make their way into arms and the world begins to open up, how do we enter our new normal?
If you want to bounce back from the COVID style of living, there are some strategies that I work through with my clients who are preparing to get back to a life that may be different then it was before the pandemic.
3 Strategies To Go From Blah to A-ha!
1) Tune up your positivity with gratitude journaling.
There is a good chance that watching all the news programs and scrolling through social media has left you with a less than positive attitude. Practising gratitude may seem fluffy or peculiar. When I was recovering from my cancer treatments, it pulled me out of some dark places. Gratitude journaling is an easy activity that has a low time investment with a ROI that comes relatively quickly. The research of Martin Seligman shows that practising gratitude can increase happiness, while the research of Robert Emmons shows that the positive effects of focusing on gratitude can be experienced with in 13 days. Entering into a new situation with a positive attitude can only help your outcome. Gratitude journaling takes minutes a day and is a good healthy habit.
2) Boost your healthy habits.
Whether you had good habits going into the pandemic that fell off with the lack of routine, or wanted habits but never made them a priority, this is a great time to create a healthy habit routine. I get it, life is busy, but a solid habit routine will help you boost your mood and energy. What you do is up to you. I encourage my clients to think of healthy things they enjoy or want to try. Then we create a sustainable journey. Creating a habit routine is meaningless if it is unsustainable.
While after working from home for months, many of us have to re-establish a routine. Starting now and slowly adding to habits is the best way to plan for success. For example, perhaps you have slept longer due to a shorter commute (living room to home office). Shortly will have to return to the office. Start your day 15 minutes earlier every few days until you get to your desired or necessary waking time. Use the increased waking time to stretch, exercise, read, meditate, journal, or insert your favourite activity here until you need the time for your commute. Once you establish these habits you will want to continue them as they will contribute to your wellbeing. You can either continue to get up earlier or modify a condensed version of your healthy habits. The goal is to set yourself up for success before you have to head into your new normal.
3) Addressing your aspirations.
See how I avoided saying, “goal setting”. I can already imagine some of you rolling your eyes. Trust me, having a goal to work towards can make the difference between languishing in your pajama pants and singing in the shower. Setting goals can be intimidating for some. Chunking down big goals into realistic, sustainable, and achievable portions takes effort. I partner with my clients to empower them to explore their goals and start taking small but impactful steps toward their goals.
Desmond Tutu said, “There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”
Indeed, research shows that less than 3 percent of people have written goals and less than 1 percent review their goals. The fear of failure may hold people back from establishing goals. This situation is where coaching steps in to mitigate the risk. During coaching sessions, we explore the goal-setting process. My clients examine different perspectives, methods and skills that lead to increased motivation to set goals and the sustainable path to achieving those goals.
The pandemic may have caught us by surprise, challenged and changed our lives in so many ways. You have the ability to decide how you want to emerge from the change. A positive mindset, good healthy habits and goal setting can set you up to bounce back stronger than ever. Changing your mindset from blah to A-ha. Evolving into the person we want to be doesn’t have to be a path you travel alone. Having an accountability partner can make all the difference. A good coach can be the reason you reach your goals with less struggle and a clearer path to success.