Here's a SUMMARY of the points covered in this article:
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Panic and Fear in times of Uncertainty
How do we cope with the chaos of uncertain times? We are living in extremely uncertain times - and that uncertainty can be difficult to cope with. You may feel worried right now. You may struggle to keep anxious thoughts in check. And you may feel unsure about the future. You may also be battling with judgements about your own emotions. Perhaps you say to yourself "I shouldn't feel this way" and that makes suffering worse. So try to avoid judging yourself for having the feelings you have. When times are hard we need to be kinder and more compassionate towards ourselves.
As humans we have the ability to imagine the future. This is something that has served us well in aiding creativity. However, during times of uncertainty when literally anything could be happen to anyone at any one times this capacity can be our enemy. We may fill our minds with terrifying images of catastrophic possible futures. This is what anxiety is.
In 2016, a group of London researchers explored how people would react to being told that they would either "definitely" or "probably" receive a painful electric shock. They discovered an intriguing paradox.
Volunteers who knew they would definitely receive a painful electric shock felt calmer and were measurably less agitated than those who were told they only had a 50 percent chance of receiving the electric shock. This study shows that the uncertainty of something bad happening can be more stressful than the knowledge of something bad happening.
Uncertainty Ignites our Primitive Survival Instinct. If we can’t neutralise a perceived threat, we engage in the unhelpful process called “worry”.We grapple with whatever the problem is to find solutions to the threat, but there are none. Does this make us feel better? No, quite the opposite - it makes us feel worse.
In our need for certainty, we are wired to exaggerate : we view or talk of a situation as worse than it actually is. This leads to worry, which in turn leads to anxiety. The modern brain struggles to distinguish between real threats and perceived threats.
The result is that the primitive brain takes over and triggers the primitive survival instinct - fight-or-flight. It asks questions:What is going to happen...? What is around the corner for me...? Should I be doing less...? Should I be doing more...? What if my business is threatened...? What if my livelihood is threatened...? What if my life is threatened...? Because we have no answers we this can lead to anger, aggression or frustration.
What Can we do to Mitigate Uncertainty?
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Calm the Body and Mind
Feel safe and restore calm with this 20 min hypnotic audio
5 Ways to Reduce and Prevent High Anxiety Levels
If you listen to the radio everyday you would understandably and naturally become overwhelmed by the amount of new and changing official information being issued on a daily basis. The problem in itself is overwhelming in its magnitude and scope and it is easy to feel powerless when we think about the many ways it is affecting us all directly and indirectly. Our ‘normal’ way of life has already changed dramatically, whether we are in lockdown or not, and many people in our families and communities are left vulnerable.
Because of the great deal of uncertainty about the future, stress, anxiety and depression are abound. Here are some practical ways you can help yourself:
Limit News and other Triggers
It's good to stay informed. However listening to the news several times a day and spending hours reading articles about Coronavirus is not going to help. In fact it is guaranteed to make you feel on edge, anxious and eventually depressed. Make sure you are in charge of when you are exposed to the news and for how long. Make sure you also discuss other topics when talking to friends and family over the phone or online.
Change your Focus
Anxiety is all about imagining catastrophic future scenarios. Although it is possible these scenarios may come true, it is too one sided to only entertain negative ideas. Balance is necessary. Do not try to push away these thoughts as what you resist persists. Instead acknowledge them but also remind yourself that there are other possibilities. Things could also turn out better than imagined. There are many possible scenarios. Take them into consideration.
Move your Body
Changing physiology changes mental state. When you are feeling low you will tend to look down and frown. How would your body move if you were feeling excited, calm, or playful? Now move your body that way. Notice how that changes the way you feel to match it. Experiment. You could try running, dancing, or moving to different kinds of music. How does that influence your mood?
Make Self Care a Priority
Self care is a must during a pandemic. Your immune system needs to be as strong as possible. So concentrate on eating healthy, organic food, exercising, resting and sleeping enough, keeping your brain interested in stimulating activities and socialising to a degree that makes you feel connected.
Change Emotional State
When you are feeling in a non resourceful state it is essential to know how to switch into a more resourceful one quickly. See below for some ways of doing this using NLP.
How to use NLP to Change Emotional State
Use Positive Language to reframe your experience
Language shapes experience. Words are used to represent our experience. In that representation they alter our perceptions and feelings. If an an assemblage of words is creating states that disempower you, get rid of those words and replace them with those that empower you. For example: what happens when instead of saying - "this is a disaster! I can never survive, it's going to be hell on earth!" you said - "this is not what I would have wanted but I can cope. I am going to do the best I can to make it work for me."
Ask yourself Empowering Questions
Questions change what we are focussing on and how we feel as a consequence. The only thing that limits your questions is your belief about what is possible. When you create a better question you create a better answer. When you ask "Why" questions, you can end up feeling worse, because the question may only be answered by providing negative reasons and excuses for staying the same. For example consider the following limiting questions: "Why me?" "Why does this always happen to me? "Why am I so depressed / anxious / unhappy?"
Now consider the following empowering questions: "What can I do to make this work for me?" "How can I turn this around?" "If I could be happy about something what could I be happy about?" "What can I learn from this?"
Transform your Negative Imaginings and rob them of their power
Take a situation that is challenging you. Make a picture of it in your mind. Now imagine pushing it farther and farther away from yourself. Stand above it and look down upon the problem from a new perspective. Make the image dimmer and smaller. Push it back and watch the sun melt it. Put the image behind you. Push it back until it's miles and miles behind, until it is a dot receding in the darkness.
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Calm the Body and Mind
Feel safe and restore calm with this 20 min Hypnotic audio
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