Here's how to find confidence and adapt to another change
After the past few months of lockdown blurring all of our days together, it’s looking like there might be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. But with many countries beginning to ease restrictions, someof us might be feeling unsettled –again. From a fear of leaving home for hygiene reasons,uncertainty about what the next weeks and months hold, to getting used to the kids going back to school and getting back to the old routine, everything isa little daunting.
The Bach team have put together a few suggestions to help you manage your emotions, find confidence in your decisions, remain positive and adapt to another change.
1. How to deal with uncertainty
One of the main things you might be feeling at the moment is a looming sense of uncertainty. Though governments might be talking about lifting restrictions, it’s so difficult to know how the next few weeks and months will look like, and this can be pretty unsettling.Though you can’t know for sure what will really happen,and living in the present is important,scenario planning might help you navigate the course of events. Write down 3-4 different plans roughly for the next few months, including a few goals in each. This will help you prepare for what might come, but keep in mind that you might need to be flexible with the different scenarios. Come back to them in a week or two and see how things have changed. Once you feel a little more reassured, put the plan aside and try to focus on the present again.
2. How to stay positive
You might have heard countless people claim they are ‘trying to stay positive’ and have wondered ‘how?’ It’s one of those things that seems to be easier said than done, but there are ways to help set this positivity into action while change is happening around you. For example, you could try writing a gratitude journal or write down the best part of your day, every day. Even on down days, finding one small thing that made you smile or feel thankful will help you focus on the positive, instead of accepting the negative. Try to spend a minute or two every night writing down either one thing you are thankful for or the best part of your day. Whether it’s having felt the warmth of the sun on a walk, or spent some quality time family, it can give you the opportunity to focus on things that make you happy and evaluate why they do so and why you are grateful for them. If a pen and paper is a bit old-school for you, there are plenty of apps you could download that allow you to show gratitude daily.
3. How to be brave and fearless
J.M. Barrie once said,“There are many different kinds of bravery”, and if you’re feeling a little scared at the moment, try to repeat this in your head. Phoning a friend and opening up about how you’re feeling,going for a socially distant walk,driving a car for the first time in a while, going to work again, going to the store, dropping your kids off at school or even leaving your front door all show bravery in different ways.If you find you’re needing a little extra courage to accomplish these things, try talking to friends or family who have. Relate your experiences to each other and ask questions–seeing how others have dealt with similar situations can help everyone feel a little safer.
4. How to be confident in your actions
Like bravery, confidence in your actions can be a little harder to come by at the moment. But while things are changing at an uncertain pace, you can take control over how you deal with these changes. It can be easy to want to jump back into a ‘normal’ routine right away but taking it slow will help you achieve that final goal without getting ahead of yourself or feeling worried and stressed. Break things down into smaller, more achievable steps, slowly building up to the bigger ones. For example, if you’re someone who’s only been doing online shops and is worried about going into the store in person again, try ordering online but go collect your groceries at the store. This will give you a glimpse of what the shops are looking like at the moment, without overwhelming you right away. Once you feel confident doing this, you can take it up a step and go into the store for a small 5-10-minute shop. Then, try doing a bigger weekly shop. The important thing is to do what feels right for you make sure that you’re comfortable with each step. Try to pick out two to three positive points about every daunting situation and create a way of congratulating yourself and your loved ones for each step you take.
Finally, remember that change doesn’t need to be negative; it’s all about how we look at it. Take this next change to look introspectively and grow in the way you want; what have your learnt about your strengths and weaknesses, what can you do to help yourself continue growing, and what would you like to do more of?
It’s really important that throughout this process you remind yourself that you are doing a great job of adapting; you’ve been through the hardest initial change already. So now is just a matter of being good to yourself throughout the day.
