Warnings that we are about to enter an Autumn/Winter like no other were issued last Friday when new Covid-19 restrictions for Dublin were announced. With them came the threat of further restrictions to come in Dublin and other counties if the rate of positive cases isn’t brought under control. So what can we do for ourselves to prepare ourselves for the next uncertainty in these unprecedented times? ?
According to experts coping with uncertainty and change is all about ‘Resilience’, but what does resilience actually mean and what can we do to increase our personal resilience.
Research has shown that while some people seem to be naturally resilient, (Professional Contractors, Entrepreneurs, people with their own companies generally score very highly compared to the general population on the resilience metric, because they are more used to changing situations and environments). However the good news is that resilience can actually be increased. So here are 4 ways to help increase your resilience.
Professional Contractors are already starting on the front foot here, as you would not be a successful Contractor without belief in your ability. It is also important to have confidence in your ability to cope with the stresses of life. Write a list of your achievements; times in the past where you have successfully dealt with a crisis or a project goal. If you ever waiver in your confidence simply pull out the list and recognise that you’ve been here before and managed fine.
Change is just part of life, we all know nothing stays the same. Flexibility is an essential part of resilience. By being adaptable, you’ll be better equipped to respond when faced with a perceived crisis. You will be able to look for new opportunities, so it didn’t turned out like you thought but try and identify the parts in the change that are positive. The more you practice seeing change as a good thing the better you’ll be able to adapt and thrive.
Human beings are social animals and building a strong set of relationships is important, it reminds you that you are not alone whatever difficulty you face. So while Covid 19 may be restricting meetings you may find you have time to identify and connect with people are going through similar experiences to you, so reach out and build connections. You may end up helping someone else and as a result see yourself as a valuable resource and that too will increase your resilience.
When times are difficult bodies are naturally under stress, to counteract this look after your physical well-being. Eat well, sleep well, exercise, get outside into the fresh air as much as possible, drink water and avoid excessive alcohol consumption and smoking if possible.
Practice mindfulness – simply try and stay in the present moment. Anxiety can be increased by worry about future events but the bottom line is that none of us know what the future holds and you may be stressing unnecessarily about events that will never occur. Similarly dwelling on the past will not change the outcome. You are where you are, so try to look for the positives in your current situation.
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