“We cannot solve our problems by thinking on the same level that we have used to create them. You must learn to see the world anew.” Einstein
As we continue to be faced with uncertainty, loss of security and challenges, coupled with a perceived lack of control over our situation, many of us are feeling stress, anxiety, overwhelm or anger to name but a few emotions.
Furthermore, our usual distraction strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety, such as going to work, meeting friends, going to the gym, going shopping etc are not as readily accessible to us. Indeed, with no end in sight, no former experiences to draw on in this unprecedented situation and our usual activities severely restricted, many of us are finding ourselves in a continuous ‘loop’ of thinking without any clear strategies or action plans.
When we are hit with a tsunami of emotions that are focussed on all the threats to our survival it can be hard to engage our thinking brains and be creative. Indeed the neurochemicals that are released when our threat response is triggered actually shut down our ‘slow’ cognitive brain, resulting in us being stuck in our viewpoint, closed to new ideas and less open to connect and collaborate with others.
So why not try something different to shift your way of thinking?
For a moment, stop focussing on the threats and problems and focus on being you, and the best version of you, and allow the outcomes to take care of themselves.
Pay attention to who you are and who you want to be:
Why do you do what you do? What is your purpose? This isn’t always a ‘change the world’ purpose, it’s what drives your actions? For example, you may want to:
- Help people or
- Make things simple or
- Solve problems
How do you do what you do? What are your personal qualities or core values? Examples of core values include being:
- Honest
- Friendly
- Fun
What do you do well that you love? What are your key strengths? These are your skills and activities that you do that you also love doing. They can be technical skills or personal attributes, for example:
- Good with numbers
- Organised
- Motivate others
The sweet spot is when you align your key strengths with your inner motivation from your core values and purpose.
And when you are being who you want to be, and doing that to the best of your ability, everyone benefits:
- As your focus shifts from what threatens you to what rewards you, your emotions will shift from anxiety to excitement
- You will feel more fulfilled
- The best outcomes will be achieved
- There will be a ripple effect on everyone around you – from your energy as well as from the impact of your actions
So next time you feel overwhelmed or anxious take a moment and focus on who you want to be and show up being that person and see what happens.