Adapt or Die.

Saint Corona is among us and there’s panic in the air. You've started clearing out your cupboards and scrubbing the floors (it can’t just be me!). You're anxious because the present and future you expected are in jeopardy and things might not turn out how you envisaged. You can't sleep at night but want to sleep all day. Now what?

It is easy to let fear overrun you right now as we hear of people dying and sources of income drying up. One thing I am finding useful is knowing that WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT; we are all feeling the pinch. And we ALL have a CHOICE in how to respond to this situation. The purpose of this piece is to introduce the notion that THIS COULD BE A FABULOUS OPPORTUNITY. (Tech such as ‘Zoom’ is booming for example. Rhyme intended).

Coping, resilience, antifragility are all about adaptability - mentally adjusting to changing circumstances. Being upset that things aren't as we want them can actually feel good in the moment - sometimes we do just need to rant, cry or scream (I had a cry this afternoon because I felt frustrated that I hadn’t completed the tasks I’d set myself and briefly blamed it on confinement before admitting that confinement had nothing to do with it) - but when that's done you need to snap out of it and adapt your thinking.

Imagine that lockdown is forever, like when a person dies. They’re gone forever so we have to adapt to life without them. We have no idea how long this will last so it’s wise to pretend life as we knew it has died and is gone forever, too. Grim, but sensible.

Just as when someone dies, so we must adapt to the new reality. We can choose to adapt to life’s changes or choose to feel frustrated and resentful. Holding onto expectations of how life “should” be is only going to make us more frustrated. We can choose to get stuck in a mental realm of victimhood, longing for a fantasy life that no longer exists, or get on with making the best of what we’ve got.

So HOW the bejesus do we let go and move on?

Change your mindset. Not easy, but more empowering than staying pissed off, anxious and feeling like a victim. Of course, you could wallow forever in your victimhood - that can be gratifying too.

Here are some tips: