Life is constantly changing and Covid-19 has brought about a massive change for society. People have been forced to make changes to their normal routines and creature comforts. Some of these changes being easier than others. As someone who struggles with anxiety and has a tendency to not take change so well, I have luckily been able to accept these drastic changes to society with a fair amount of ease. While the key to accepting and making changes is to change your mindset, here are a few tips to help you adapt.
Our new reality in society means that we must all make and accept changes because the way we were living was not good enough. The stark injustices which we have been exposed to during lockdown, such as those who are starving and living in overcrowded conditions, were not non-existent before lockdown. Most people were just busy enough to ignore it without being riddled with guilt. Now we must commit to making changes for the better. For ourselves. For our loved ones. For all in society. Making changes may not be easy, but here are a few ways which you can start:
Start Small:
You don’t cram a whole burger into your mouth at once (unless it is a bite-sized burger or you have an abnormally large mouth), you savour each delicious bite. So don’t aim to change the world. Even starting with changing yourself can be quite ambitious. So start by changing one small thing. You can choose to eat a healthier breakfast, maybe you want to limit your time online, maybe you want to smile more, or not shout so much. Maybe your business logo needs to be tweaked or your core values need to be re-imagined. Possibly you want to donate more time to your community. Whatever the change is, start small. No matter how small, make that one change and once you have perfected that new change and are fully committed to it being your new normal. Then move on to your next adjustment.
Go easy on yourself:
Perhaps you were too ambitious and embarked on a lifestyle change too quickly and after a week you are seemingly back where you started. Well, you are not. Once you start something, even if you have only started it mentally, no matter how many times you fail, you are not starting from scratch. You are starting from experience. Learn from your mistakes, tone down your goals a little and try again.
Adjust your changes:
If you consistently fail at a change you are trying to make, regardless of the number of times you try. Possibly the change is not in alignment with where you are meant to be. Re-consider why you decided to make this particular change and introspectively examine if you are trying hard enough. Are you committed and is this really what you want? Who will the change benefit? Only you, or the greater community too? Consider where you may need to make a change which is more beneficial to other people too, but always be sure to remember to look after yourself as well.
Call a friend:
Find someone in your life or aim to meet someone new, who is committed to making the same change or changes as you. Having someone to hold accountable and someone who holds you accountable makes a world of difference. You can find an individual to embark on this journey with or you can join a community of like-minded people to give you that much-needed motivation. There is very little in our lives which have not been influenced in any way (big or small) by someone or something else.
Treat yo’self:
Reward yourself for the small changes you make. Be forgiving and be rewarding. No matter how small it is of an achievement. Use incentives to keep you going and know that your progress is usually further than you realise.
Don’t overwhelm yourself:
Take change minute by minute or day by day. While in lockdown, a wise man said, “I just keep telling myself, it’s okay, just one more month. We can do it. Then next month I’ll just tell myself, just one more month.” That is all we need to do, take each day at a time and don’t worry about a week from now or two days from now. What will you do today which will help you reach your desired change? Do it, and tomorrow is tomorrow’s worry. Yeah, ironic to hear that from an anxiety sufferer, I know.
No matter how you deal with change, I am proud of you. Each small step in the right direction is a positive movement. Each step in the wrong direction, only tells you which way NOT to go. Those are important lessons too.
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