If you’ve felt off lately, you’re not alone.
As we navigate through our new normal of a COVID-19 world, the uncertainty of this pandemic is taking a toll. According to The Pew Research Center, nearly one-in-five Americans say they’ve had a physical reaction when thinking about the outbreak.
The psychological and emotional stress we’re feeling manifests itself in many ways, from irritability to overwhelm and resentful to grief. And even with more time on our hands, it’s tough to make progress and be productive in this chaotic environment; add frustration and guilt to the melange of emotions. It’s hard to stay positive when so much around us has been turned upside down.
In trying times like these, one of the best ways to cope is to leverage the one aspect we can control: our perspective.
Depending on how we view a situation, it can be seen in a positive or negative light. A classic example of this is the metaphor, “Is the glass is half-full or half-empty?”
Psychologists call this “reframing,” because it helps create a different way of viewing and experiencing events, ideas, concepts, and emotions to find more positive alternatives, which influence your thoughts and behaviors. Said another way, your thoughts become your words, which become your actions.
Here are five simple ways to positively reframe your thinking during these trying times:
Add “yet”
Right now, you might feel frustrated about what you can’t do—gather with your colleagues, understand how to operate a new piece of technology, or buy toilet paper—making it easy to get trapped in a downward spiral.
However, when you add the word “yet” after one of these negative statements, it transforms it into a more positive one: “I can’t gather with my colleagues” becomes “I can’t gather with my colleagues yet.”
“Yet” implies that there will be a future solution or resolution; the current situation is only temporary. Adding “yet” speaks to possibilities rather than constraints.
Swap “have to” with “get to”
Has your to-do list become a to-dread list? When you find yourself lamenting about having to do something, use your awareness to catch yourself. That task—even if it’s something you like doing—has become a point of stress, rather than a source of joy.
When you swap out an “I have to” with “I get to,” everything changes. “I have to create a new marketing plan” is an obligation, whereas “I get to create a new marketing plan” is an opportunity. Having to do something feels like a chore; getting to do something feels like a reward.
Turn “Yes, but…” into “Yes, and…”
When you’re stressed, it’s easy to come up with reasons why things won’t work or improve. In these instances, your reaction to a suggestion might be to say, “Yes, but…” However, “Yes, but…” is discouraging, disheartening, and negative; it halts a conversation and any forward progress of an idea.
A simple way to reframe those situations is found in improvisation, which is rooted in the principle of “Yes, and…” In improve, one partner must agree with what the other partner has just said or done, and then add to it by saying, “Yes, and…”
“Yes, and…” is a builder that invites collaboration; “Yes, but…” shuts things down.
Cultivating a “Yes, and…” mindset means that you’re curious about and open to the suggestions of others, agree with at least part of what they say, and then find a way to build on their ideas.
Find the good
When bad or unexpected things happen, it can throw us into a tailspin. When you find yourself dwelling on a tough situation, try responding by saying to yourself, “This is good because…” and then list all the ways why there might be a positive angle to the current scenario. For instance, when you were mandated to follow a shelter-in-place order and are working from home, you could say, “This is good because I’ll keep myself and others safe, I won’t have to commute in traffic, and I get to work on that project I kept putting off.”
Finding the silver lining of a situation helps to reframe it as a positive and pull you out a negative mindset.
Shift from “I’m going through this” to “I’m growing through this”
Collectively, all humankind is doing its best to find its way through this coronavirus crisis. We’re challenged, certainly, but we’re also offered two perspectives in which to view the situation.
Choosing to see your current circumstances as “I’m going through this” can be demoralizing and deflating. Going through something is passive; it’s happening to you. In this scenario, you are the victim, so you remain pessimistic and primarily driven by fear, resigned to the status quo.
However, those who fare far better elect to adopt an alternate mindset where they tell themselves, “I’m growing through this.” Growing through something is action-oriented, positive, and empowering. It means you’ll come out of your current circumstances with newly acquired wisdom, changed for the better.
Shifting your mindset to the possibilities of a situation helps you not only while you’re in the midst of a trying time, but it also enables you to reframe future scenarios so you can thrive.
This article was written by Amy Blaschka from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
GE-3032248(4/20)(exp.6/20)
