An invisible foe – the corona-virus – has halted the entire planet. The figures of people getting infected by it are increasing exponentially. Scientists, researchers, and doctors are fighting hard to save lives. The world economy is in turmoil, and unemployment is at a new high.
It is imperative with so much negativity you will feel anxious and depressed.
But is there a way you can change this crisis to an opportunity?
Certainly yes. But I wont tell you the age-old methods of staying optimistic. Remember that none of us have been in this situation before. The virus is new, and so are its repercussions. Something novel, cannot be tackled with something old.
You need to discover new ways of handling stress. That’s why I would suggest counter-intuitive methods in this article. They can change your perspective to face the current calamity.
Let’s discuss them one by one.
DO NOT have a time table- Have more time:
Before the pandemic, scheduling social gatherings, parties, movies were for granted. With the virus, no more. You try to use this outing time by having a list of to-do activities. Correct?
I would suggest not to intentionally fill the void created by the lack of your outings. Thats because a time-table puts pressure on you. It binds you to commitments and deadlines. If you fail to perform the activities as scheduled, you may get disheartened, which can increase your stress.
Also, you may be unaware of the repercussions of the activities you add to your schedule. For instance, if you replace gyming with meditation, you may not know the challenges it brings along- studies have shown that meditation can give you unpleasant experiences.
So, how do you plan your day?
The condition of the pandemic is changing daily. There is a new finding every day. With an ever-changing information pattern on your table, you need to be impromptu. Adapting to the situation is a better choice than premediating it.
Hence, set yourself free and give your best to whatever comes your way. Do not make deliberate efforts to keep yourself busy. It is perfectly fine not to have a script for your day, and its great to give yourself time.
Also, to stay positive, consider using cognitive restructuring, an element of cognitive therapy. It helps to identify the thoughts that are contributing to a problem and then develop techniques to alter them to positive ones. Instead of freaking out, you talk to yourself positively and take charge of your life.
Do not believe its temporary- Make permanent changes:
You do not like the changes COVID-19 has brought in your life. However, you think its temporary, and you are patiently waiting until everything is back to normal. Right?
Wrong !!! There is no going back to normal. This is the new normal.
No matter how hard you try, your life now is divided into two parts- before and after the pandemic. The later one has a new set of challenges, and you need to face them to survive.
How would you prepare yourself for the new world?
First things first – accept the current life as permanent. This is not a transition phase. Its here forever. When you are no longer in the standby mode, transforming to the new life becomes easier. Simon Sinek, a leadership expert, explains in this video how to accept the current situation as the norm.
The next step is to adapt to the present requirements- change your working style, operational practices, and mindset according to the demands of the situation.
For instance, if you own a business, analyze your workforce data. Some of your employees may now be idle due to canceled events/projects. Check if you can utilize them in activities where the pandemic has increased the workload.
Sitting back for things to return to normal will lead you to miss on the current opportunities. Remember, some of the best start-ups of the previous decade started in the global recession of 2008. Be it Uber, WhatsApp, or Facebook; their founders discovered opportunities in the challenges of the crisis.
You, too, need to innovate ideas and develop new ways to get desired outcomes. Use the power of the internet, change your attitude, get creative, and make things happen. The pandemic is here to stay. It may become a part of our lives and never go away. You cant wait forever.
Feel bad: Expecting total control is making you sad
You are feeling low, sad, and depressed. So, you are finding out ways to handle your emotions to be happy.
Well, according to research, the pursuit of happiness can be lonely; it isolates you and makes you sad. Hence, do not make organic efforts to be happy. Also, to have healthy emotions, you need to experience them entirely. Permit yourself to be sad. You cannot handpick positive emotions.
To understand your emotions, find their root cause, and then search for ways to handle them. For instance, you may be sad thinking the virus is governing your life.
However, there always were things you could not control. Also, the virus, like any other factor, cannot exhibit complete control on you. Hence, accept that everything cannot go your way and focus on what you can control.
Derren Brown, in his book Happy, describes how at the moments of losing, a tennis player who thinks, I must win feels frustrated, and the one who thinks, I will play the best I can does not get disappointed.
When you accept that there will always be things you cant control, you will give your best to alleviate your current circumstances.
Conclusion:
The above-mentioned premortem techniques are effective in handling COVID19- you visualize all that can go wrong in advance and prepare for the worst. Let yourself be free of the burden of back to normal. After all, an amusing surprise is better than a rude shock.read more
3 Counter-intuitive Ways to Change the COVID-19 Crisis to an Opportunity
