My phone has been very busy lately. People are concerned about the economy, their retirement, their businesses, their families, and their level of anxiety – and they need to talk.
I’ve identified 6 Keys to staying in control of yourself and your emotions. I thought I’d share them with you.
- Realize that this is not happening to you alone. We are all in this together. While it is abnormal from what you were experiencing one year ago, this economic turbulence is part of a cycle of change. I’m not sure that people are as frightened as they are feeling a bit out of control. You cannot control the stock market. You cannot control the Federal Reserve. You cannot control the people around you. But, you can control yourself.
- Are you spending time alone to meditate and pray? I don’t mean the kind of prayer dashed off in a moment of panic, but I mean the contemplative type of prayer where you realize what you have. You are loved. You are cared for. You mean the world to someone and someone means the world to you. Go over the things in your mind that you are thankful for and be consciously and intentionally grateful for it all. Most of the time, we’ll see this near the bottom of the list, but I believe that gratitude must be one of the first things that you are aware of in your life.
- Take a proactive approach. We wonder what will happen next. I can tell you. Fluctuation. Another thing you have no control over. So, do all of the things that you should do in difficult economic times, but even more important than that, do something that will bring you peace. I went on a diet earlier this year. I lost 20 lbs and have kept it off without even trying. Why? Because I kept one practice that I felt impacted my weight. This one thing that impacted my weight and has helped me keep the weight off is that I limit the amount of sweets and treats that I consume. Once a week I allow myself “treats”. If we were to use this same tactic during this turbulent time, and then vowed to keep that tactic throughout our lives, I wonder how it would impact us? What is the one thing that you’ve wanted to change about your lifestyle that would improve your lifestyle by limiting or eliminating it anyway? Would it be something that instead of a treat, it is just an obvious excess that you could do without anyway?
- Do something nice for someone else. As I said in #1, you are not alone. This turbulent economic situation is happening to everyone. Someone is feeling more troubled than you and there is someone out there who has more to lose than you do. Someone is less able than you are to be able to control their emotions and their behaviors. Is there someone out there in your sphere of influence who needs someone to listen, a kind word, an encouragement, someone to take them to lunch or for coffee? Sometimes in circling the wagons, we forget that there are stragglers that didn’t make it to the wagon train in the first place and need the support of others. Think about it. Who do you know that could use someone to reach out to them?
- Laugh. No, seriously. Do it everyday. As important as physical exercise is, laughing everyday will keep your heart and mind healthy.
- Learn something new. People are spending less time out and about. Why not spend an hour a day doing something that would improve your ability on the job, give you a new hobby, or enhance your life in another way? Not only will learning something new give you a nice distraction, but it will improve your confidence and self esteem. Learning something new will also help you feel that you are in control of where you’re headed.
Life is short. Love is sweet. Times are difficult. Be calm and courageous. Someone needs you.
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