Category: Coronavirus

Many of us are spending more time at home at the moment. But don’t turn this into a not-getting-dressed, sitting-on-the-sofa, Netflix and ice cream-eating holiday. Although, please, give yourself a break, too.

Establish and stick to your daily rhythm – get up at the same time, don’t hit the snooze button, get dressed, get ready to tackle the day, set your goals for the day and put in the work. Things may have shifted right now, but routine and keeping a sense of normality in this time of uncertainty will be helpful.

Remember, where you will be in the future is very much dependent on the actions you take today.

Self-care

Physical self-care is important; choosing to fuel your body with healthy food, sleep and exercise each day. But mental self-care is also essential, especially in this global crisis, so make sure you are taking the steps to protect your mind. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

While it is important to stay informed, try to focus your attention on positive things that bring you joy – such as dancing to music, a podcast, cooking, playing with your pets or children, listening to an audio book, or going for a walk.

Also, limit your exposure to things that are not so positive. A prime example is the news – sure, we are in a crisis, but do you need it in front of you 10 hours a day, or every 10 minutes? Could you get an update once or twice a day?

If you only surround yourself with negative content, that is where your mindset will be.

Power of contribution

Ask yourself each morning how you want to act, show up and feel that day.

If you are finding it difficult to motivate yourself because of the uncertainty and anxiety, try to focus on contribution. It is one of the biggest antidotes to fear.

Think about how your actions can help and support others – such as checking in with neighbours and the elderly, using some of your knowledge to teach others in a virtual way, starting community groups, and looking for opportunities to connect and collaborate with others in your field.

People want to know who else is in the trenches with them – and if you have got each other’s back, especially at a time like now, that’s really powerful.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that the worst of times can bring out the best in people – both individually and as a collective. It forces us to think differently and move forward with courage.

Let’s focus on doing just that.

If you have access to a coach – someone who fights in your corner and backs you up during the tough times – that can be very powerful.

However, not everyone is in a position to have that – and certainly in unprecedented times like now, it is more important to know how to coach yourself through troubling times.

Questions

A great way to coach yourself is by asking powerful questions. You may have hit a roadblock, been disappointed, or feel overwhelmed or down – take a moment and ask yourself:

• What can I do right now?
• What would the best version of me do?
• Is this a good use of my time?
• Does this serve me right now?
• What advice would I give a friend in this situation?

Then, write it out – on paper or a whiteboard, or into the notes on your mobile phone. Get it out of your head and work through it, step by step.

Often by unpicking our fears or worries, they lose control over us very quickly and will make room for solutions to emerge.

We are facing unprecedented challenges right now, requiring us to rethink our “normal” way of being. Existing plans, policies and protocols are being overhauled and scrapped, which can easily bring about feelings of uncertainty and fear.

We all have a choice right now – it all comes down to whether you go with the flow or stand up to be a powerful agent for change and help inspire those around you.

Here, I want to share the performance and leadership strategies I have used to help navigate the changing landscape of this pandemic. These five fundamental, timeless strategies can help guide us to take the right actions for the good of our teams, ourselves, our patients and the wider community.

This is the first step in regaining personal power over your situation. It is not easy; however, while you cannot change the situation, you always have a choice in how you react, or the emotion or story you assign to it.

If you can dig deep and channel the energy you’re using on the chaos and panic – and reframe it into resolve and clarity about the positive steps to take, and what you can control – this could make all the difference, to you and those around you.

Keep calm…

The first step is just pausing and halting the spiral – essentially learning how to calm your mind.

I use a series of deep breaths to recentre and bring a sense of calm to my thoughts. In a time like this, we all need to channel more calmness and courage, and halt panic and fear.

The truth is that the more stressed you are, the less smart and focused your thought patterns are – and this can have a ripple effect to your team, family and friends, and the community.

If your demeanour is assured and calm, you’ll reassure others to stay calm and help them make smarter decisions.

…and channel your focus

Secondly, it is important where you choose to channel your focus – as self-help guru Tony Robbins says: “Where focus goes, energy flows.”

If you are checking in on the news and the media every 10 minutes, and focusing solely on the negative, then that is where your focus will be. However, if you choose to focus on something else – such as learning a new skill, supporting your team, helping the community or developing solutions in your vet clinic around infection control – that is where your energy will go, leading to much more positive results.

When you look ahead, don’t look at the whole mountain in front of you – that can seem insurmountable. Break it down into smaller and smaller chunks, and look at what is possible in this moment.

Taking just one right step forward – making a telephone call, researching an idea, enrolling on a course, offering support – will give you momentum and courage to take that second step, and get you back in control.