Everywhere one turns today there are messages about COVID-19, or the Corona Virus. State and government leaders are declaring rules regarding company closures, contact with others, and shelter in place options. Politicians are pontificating, social media is full of messages, often conflicting information and rumor. It’s enough to make one wonder about their own safety and sanity.
In today’s post I want to talk about the sanity issue. This is a very stressful time. Many of us are being told to work from home, and even more of us are being told our job is ending. The virus, identified as a pandemic at this time, has wreaked havoc on our lives, both socially and economically. According to the Center for Disease Control, Stress during an infectious disease outbreak can include
Things you can do to support yourself
For more information on the Therapy of Thought, check out my book: I Want My Body Back, Volume I in the Unique Style of Fit Trilogy. References U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2020, March 14). Stress and Coping. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fabout%2Fcoping.html
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Motivational Speaker Brian Tracy said, “You feel good about yourself to the degree to which you feel you are in control of your own life.” This makes perfect sense if you understand the two types of control and how they impact your life. Both types of control deal with the LEVEL of control. If you have a high level of control of the circumstances in your life, you will experience more positive emotions. What this means is your life is controlled by you and not by outside circumstances.
A low level of control leads to negative emotions because your life is controlled by the outside circumstances and not by you. Now, there are certain circumstances you cannot control. For example, the weather. If a tornado rips through your town, you cannot stop it, and will experience negative emotions as a result of the storm. However, you do have control over certain aspects of the circumstance. You can be prepared for the storm by paying attention to the weather reports, having a plan in the event a tornado does occur, and taking charge of implementing that plan. Circumstances in our lives are constantly changing and it is important to understand the level of control we have over those changes. Some changes we bring about ourselves: we make decisions to marry, divorce, move, go to school, get a job, etc. These kinds of changes require planning and controlled implementation. On the other hand, if changes come about that we did not choose, we need to understand the level of our control during those changes. Unexpected illness, death, accidents, loss of income, etc. often make us feel as though our lives are spinning out of control, eliciting those negative emotions mentioned above. During these times it is important to look for the ‘silver lining’ in the situation. Find the areas of the change you can control and then take steps to find the positive emotions that will lower stress levels and increase confidence. For example, if one is faced with an unexpected loss of income through company down-sizing, find out what opportunities are being offered for re-training, job changing, etc. Take control over the future of your income, don’t wallow in the now or the past. You have no control over what the company is doing, but you do have control over your reaction to the company’s actions. The next post in this series will be all about humans and their and their need for success. For more information on the Therapy of Thought, check out my book: I Want My Body Back, Volume I in the Unique Style of Fit Trilogy. |
AuthorI am a Performance Enhancement Specialist with a background in Emergency Psychiatric Medicine and Community Addiction. Archives
December 2023
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