CategoriesActionGratitudeReframe your thoughts

Feeling Low – Where Do You Go?

What are the best resources for resilience? When you are feeling low – where do you go? To whom or to what do you turn to? There are some great resources out there to help pick you up, re-energise and re-focus.

Certainty of outcome:
Right now, we are in such a unique moment in time. It feels like the whole planet is on the same page, or at least reading the same book. Sometimes, as with a riveting book, I’d love to sneak a peak at the last few pages. Seeing how this plays out, and when, would provide everyone with some certainty. It would probably give a lot of people a level of comfort and let them relax into it a little more.

However, just like every book or movie, we won’t know how it ends until we get there. We need to live through the twists and turns with resilience knowing there is an end and it will be fine.

Perspective:
Looking back four months ago, you may not have realised how amazing your life was then. As I wrote recently, we often don’t know what we’ve got til it’s gone. This is probably one of those moments for a large portion of the population in so many countries already.

Feeling low – Where do you go?:
To re-energise or re-frame things, some of the best tips I have, that work for me are: Going for a run, writing something positive in a journal, listening to a favourite couple of songs rather loudly and singing along, or writing what’s on my mind to ‘get it out’.

A great book to read, and write in like a workbook, is Dale Carnegie’s classic, ‘How to stop worrying and start living’. It’s got some incredible stories in it and great lessons and tactics to use too.

There are also some amazing resources online. These are based in the UK, but please add any from your country or others you think would help. Free therapy or counselling through the NHS. Info for Children and young people.

Helping Others:
If you can spare a minute, please answer the question, ‘Feeling low – where do you go?’. Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom of the page and leave your best tips in the comments.

With readers from across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and dozens of other countries, maybe we could get a little compendium of top tips listed. It could help people, from around the world, to better deal with the new normal.

Knowing that you may may have helped someone get through their day will pick you up too, and hopefully leave you smiling.

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CategoriesActionGratitudeObserveReframe your thoughts

The Bright Side

There is always a bright side.

Sometimes we don’t see it and sometimes we don’t want to see it. If we are still reeling from an event or situation, we may not feel like looking on the bright side.

Whether you see it, don’t want to see it or don’t feel like embracing it, it is still there. Once you step over the little chasm in your mind, and sometimes begrudgingly admit it, it does feel pretty good. So why not get to that spot and start smiling as soon as you can.

From today, soon or recently for others, many of us will be experiencing the new normal. We may enjoy the idea of bits of it and loathe the thought of other bits. Either way, this is our global new normal. So we may as well look on the bright side.

Here are a few things I’ve observed:

It feels so calm. The streets are quiet with very few cars or pedestrians. We just need to be at home – nowhere else. No detailed and challenging calendars to check or update. Time with my son – we went for a run today along the quiet river path and enjoyed a great chat and sprint to the finish: he’s fast. We celebrated a big birthday of a friend on a Zoom conference call involving 3 countries. We cheered on two others having birthdays on Saturday and Sunday too.

People have been friendly, helpful, supportive, calm, pretty optimistic and resolute. Air and general pollution seems to be dropping rapidly and should continue to do so during the new normal period. This is fantastic in general but even more so for all the people that wanted more immediate and severe action on climate change – now it is happening. Schooling is going 100% online – how fascinating it will be to see how it works.

The world has changed. It seems like it happened overnight. There will be challenges ahead.

Remember to look on the bright side of everything. Make it part of your new normal.

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CategoriesActionGratitudeTime

We’re All In This Together

What a fascinating time to be here on Earth. What a story you’ll have to tell once we see the back of this situation. This may be the first time in the history of the human species that the whole world has the same common enemy, at the same time, and is communicating in real time, globally, to coordinate and win.

And we all have front row seats.

We are all experiencing this event with slightly different perspectives, depending on what experience, and life awareness, we have had before. For example, despite living in the same household all their lives, each of my children will use their slightly different past experience to make sense of the times we are living through. And, despite everyone on Earth having different perspectives, it would seem that we all want the same outcome: To beat the bug.

I love how individuals and groups are stepping up and popping up to do great things together and for others. Whether it is the medical or scientific world pulling together to find solutions or community spirited groups providing extra help in the local neighbourhood. Our neighbourhood group put a typed note through everyone’s door this week with an offer to help anyone on the street, for them to join the group Whatsapp, and/or call on them if we needed anything (it gave names, numbers and emails of those ready to help). How wonderful! Being fairly new to the street, I felt it was a great idea and really made us feel part of a caring group.

Everyone seems to be pulling together to make the best of the situation. Whether it is with jokes, memes, words of encouragement or empathy, I’ve been struck by the wonderful humanity of it all.

Now is our time to rise to the occasion. Be the best you can possibly be. Help others who are struggling at this moment. Think of who that might be and let them know you are available. Just knowing can be all some people need.

Keep confident and smiling.

We’re all in this together.

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CategoriesGratitudeObserveReframe your thoughts

“Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)”

The world has changed. Completely. 2020 will be known as a pivotal year in human history. And it has only just begun! With more and more countries reducing people’s daily activities, and several countries going into full lockdown, the landscape is changing rapidly.

As with anything that changes, especially if it seems like it is getting worse, we feel nostalgic and sometimes sad for our loss of what was. How good we had it back then; back in 2019.

That’s when this song starts playing in my head. A power ballad by American glam metal band, Cinderella. “Don’t know what you got (Till it’s gone)”. It was released on the 21st May 1988: like an early birthday gift to me.

Although a love song, its melancholy piano, soaring guitar and anguished vocals have frequently reminded me over the years to appreciate all the amazing things we have. Every day.

It’s so easy to appreciate what has gone – though it’s then too late. Yet, it can be quite difficult to appreciate things in the moment. Mostly, this is because many of us are not practicing appreciation everyday. You’ll have more joy in your life if you strengthen this ability on a daily basis.

So today, more than ever, it’s important to appreciate how delicately balanced life and the world is. As people are going through hardships with the loss of loved ones or working through unforeseen financial challenges, be kind, be patient and be tolerant.

Take a few minutes right now to stop everything, close your eyes and appreciate the life you have right now. When you are done reflecting, you can even make a list of 10 things you appreciate in your life right now. Then keep this with you to review daily as the challenges of the days ahead unfold.

Being able to breath without a respirator might be one. The simple act of walking might be another. The ability to buy milk (the money you have, the shop nearby, the milk being in the shop, someone having milked a cow at 5am – remember, I grew up on a dairy farm).

Breathe it in and enjoy it now.

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CategoriesActionGratitude

Thank You!

Two simple words that are easy to learn and easy to say. Do we say them often enough? Do we mean it when we say it, or is it just thrown out there due to an ingrained, childhood habit, instilled in us by our parents at a tender age?

Can you graciously accept a thank you or do you avoid it, downplay it, slough it off, over-react to it, disregard it or change the subject?

Today, I would like to say a big thank you to each and every one of the readers of my blog to date. Yes, you!

I’ve been writing this daily blog for two months and started telling people about it one month ago. In that time I have had great feedback and support from people I know and some that I didn’t.

I’ve had useful feedback on how I could improve some things and great feedback on how the blog posts are being enjoyed and shared. I am grateful for all of it.

I’ve had a friend use the Puzzle Process to help his daughter get from stuck to started on a school project. Another friend was enjoying it and shared it with many coaching friends. And another today said the posts brought a smile to his face and kept him positive. How cool is all that?!

There are many more great comments, which I may share at some point. You know who you are. I appreciate every, single one.

It’s been fun to watch as the blog has gathered some momentum over the few weeks it has been live. From having started telling a small number of people and getting the first visits to the site, to today, waking up and seeing that there have been 300 visitors to the site, from 15 different countries, on 5 continents, around the world. (We’re missing representation from South America and Antarctica, should anyone care to share with someone there).

This increase in readers is because of you. You have been telling people and your liking, commenting and sharing has helped others find the blog and read it.

Thank you for your feedback. Thank you for your likes, comments and shares. Thank you for subscribing, and most importantly, thank you for reading and enjoying the posts.

Is there someone you would like to be thanking today? Let’s all try to give some extra heartfelt thank you’s today – more than we usually do. Let’s get people smiling!

Thank you.

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CategoriesActionGratitudeThink About ItTime

Tell Them Now

Is there anyone you appreciate or are thankful to have in your life? Is there someone who helped you along your path, with kind words, good advice or support when it was greatly needed? Maybe there is someone you love and would dearly miss if they stopped showing up in your life?

Maybe it is your Mom or your Dad. A grandparent or two. A mentor. A school teacher. A former boss or colleague. Spouse. Partner. Child. Friend. Distant relative.

Write them a one page letter. Tell them why they are so wonderful and some of the great things you remember them for, or are grateful for.

Do not wait to tell the world about all the good they had brought into your life. Do not wait to be standing at the front of the church, in front of the gathered family and friends. Do not wait until it is too late.

Take 60 minutes from your busy life this week and write the things that will remind them how much they mean to you. Let them hear it from you now.

It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to written and delivered. Letting someone know just how important they have been in your life, while they can still appreciate it, and you’re still here to write it, will be life-changing for both you and them.

I started doing this many years ago before my grandparents passed away. And knowing that I had let them know how important they were to me and why, not just in an annual card or general phone call, made the days easier when their time came. I didn’t have that gnawing feeling of thinking, “I never got to really tell them how much they meant to me”.

I have some more letters to write. Possibly you do too. Write the first one and send it before the 29th February. Why wait any longer? Tell them now.

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