Sometimes things happen that throw us off course.
What we went through at the beginning of the pandemic is a great example of that.
If it's a change that we’re unhappy about, it’s natural to want to fight against it. However, when the situation is beyond our control, the first thing to do is simply accept the new circumstances we find ourselves in.
This isn’t always easy, and it’s OK to process emotions around major shifts in order to get to that acceptance, but the important thing is to acknowledge that we need to move forward in a different way.
Stop and think
We often react quickly and emotionally to unexpected events, which sometimes leads us to act in ways that aren’t useful. If you can give yourself some space and time to think before doing anything, it can mean that you approach the situation more strategically. Take at least a few moments to breathe, take in what is going on around you, and ensure your response is appropriate to the situation and not just an automatic panic reaction.
Get creative
It’s easy to fall back on using tried and tested ways of dealing with problems but this isn’t always the best solution. Brainstorm ideas, seek out differing opinions, and think about all the different courses of action you could take to solve the issue. Consider various possible scenarios and how you could respond to each. If you can, test new approaches and see what works best for you. Sometimes, doing what you’ve always done will end up being the right move, but examining whether you could do things differently will get you in the habit of looking at situations from different angles, which is useful for building your mental agility in the long run.
Have a growth mindset
Believing that you can always continue to learn and develop - even if you’re an expert in your field - helps you keep growing, stay ahead of the competition, and understand what you can do to up your game. A growth mindset is key to mental agility, as it will ensure you regularly challenge your perspective and come up with innovative ways to tackle challenges. It will also help you to view failures as learning opportunities. Not everything you do will always work the first time, but it could be a step in the right direction and you’ll learn something from the experience.
Focus on support
I talk a lot about this with my clients, I think it’s one of the most underrated parts of resilience. Building a support network can be challenging in a virtual world, when how we work, socialise and interact with other people has changed so drastically. But having someone to bounce ideas off of, debrief with, or simply who can lend a listening ear (whether that’s a colleague, friend or mentor), can help you work through a problem and decide how to respond to an event.
Knowing how important mental agility is for overcoming periods of difficulty and change, is there anything we can do to increase it within ourselves?
Here are a 4 concrete tips.
1) Write down as many approaches as you can:
When something happens that requires you to rethink your path forward, focus on working through all possible ways of responding to the situation and put them on paper. Think not only about what you would do, but about how others might respond. Challenge yourself to write as many solutions as you can think of within 30 minutes. Doing this will flex your problem solving muscles and help you see options more clearly.
2) Protect your mental energy:
Think about what you need to help boost your energy throughout the day and how you can work it into your life. This will be individual to you - maybe it’s getting out for some exercise early every morning, taking a lunchtime nap, or relaxing every evening by watching a TV show or reading a good book. Some things might not always be in your control, but there are always small things you can do to inject an energy boost into your routine.
3) Learn from the past to direct your future:
Look back at how you have responded to challenges in the past - this is probably something many of us have had plenty of practice with since 2020. What did you do well and what could you do better in the future? Is there anything you would replicate or change about your reactions and behaviour? Write your thoughts down so that you can go back and look at your notes later.
4) Review and refine:
Once a week as you’re working through challenges, take some time to reflect and jot down what has gone well, what hasn’t, and what you’d like to do in the future. This shouldn’t take a long time - while the above is a greater reflection exercise, this should be simple, just a few lines focusing on the here and now.
Putting pen to paper will help you understand the situation, boost your self-awareness, and visualise how you can improve.
𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 a complimentary 45 minute 𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗢𝗠 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 with me to find out how to emotionally work with the challenges of change.
♥️
Ｃａｔｈｅｒｉｎｅ
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & COACH
Catherine is a heart-centred wellness therapist, transformational coach, intuitive counsellor and mindfulness facilitator who specialises in helping you create calm confidence, nourish your self esteem and self-love, build healthy boundaries, ditch perfectionism and people-pleasing, and get out of your own way to achieve the life you deserve.
She offers her wise words, actions, and guidance to help people connect positively with their body, mind and soul.
Her sessions provide you with real-life the support and the readily accessible mindset tools you need to achieve this.
Comentários