Tip #5 - Be in the Moment

In THIS moment you are OK. You are safe. Take one day at a time. One hour or even one breath at a time if you need to. 

This tip is about being super-present, not thinking ahead or remembering the past, but practicing BEING. 

This is a PRACTICE - bringing yourself back to the NOW. Over time it gets easier, and it's a great skill to have to take back to "normal" life. 

So when you notice you're worrying, feeling twitchy and want to pick up your device and find out what the "latest" is about the COVID situation, say to yourself, "It's OK. In this moment, I am safe. In this moment I am OK."  You can also add or say, "In this moment, my children/husband/family are safe." 

EXTRA TIP: Reduce or minimize how often you watch and read the news! And DON'T read or watch the news (or articles about COVID-19 or similar) just before bed! 

Tip 4 - Gain a New Skill with Online Learning

There are so many opportunities online to gain a new skill and they're growing by the day! 

Grow your personal or creative skills or choose a new skill to learn and take back to work with online training providers like Great Courses Plus, Coursera, and Udemy

There are many other providers. 

If there's a skill you always wanted to learn, search for it. But be sure to read the course descriptions thoroughly, and check reviews if there are any.

With many of the courses are FREE or just a few dollars, there is a great chance something out there will be perfect for you. 

You can also try my free webinars by checking out the upcoming classes on my website!

No matter what, be curious and have some fun with learning!

Tip# 3 - Learn with Non-Fiction Books:

Use this time at home to educate yourself with non-fiction books. There is so much to be gained - like self-confidence, negotiation skills, health (sleep, nutrition), how to have difficult conversations, and much more. 

What keeps you up at night? There's probably a book about that! What do you wish you were better at? There's probably a book about that too! 

Here are some book ideas to get you thinking: 

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• Be more productive or creative with "The Now Habit" by Neil Fiore or "A Whack on the Side of the Head (How You Can Be More Creative)" by Roger Von Oech and "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink. 
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• Think (or rethink?) how you live with books like "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan (also available in a young reader's version), "Slow Food: Collected Thoughts on Taste, Tradition, and the Honest Pleasures" by Carlo Petrini, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich, "Doughnut Economics" by Kate Raworth. 
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• Get personally inspired by "Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts" and "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown, or "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl. 
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• Up-skill yourself with "Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most" by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen. 

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• Learn about the human mind with "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell or "The Whole Brain Child" by Daniel J. Siegel MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD. 
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• Get healthier with "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams" by Matthew Walker PhD. 
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• Be more confident and discover your strengths with "The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance - What Women Should Know" by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman" or "Now, Discover Your Strengths (How to Develop Your Talents and Those of the People You Manage)" by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton. 
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• Finally, read a memoir! Choose someone you admire, get inspired, and learn how other people think - and live their lives. 

Reading one book will expand your mind, reading several of these books is going to make you more interesting, help you learn new skills - and maybe even make you more employable too! 

Tip #2 - Build Your Physical Strength, Fitness Levels or Flexibility!

www.fiercefocuscoaching.net

Building your physical strength is powerful and health-boosting! Not only is physical strength and flexibility life-affirming and good for our health, but feeling more physically powerful helps us feel more empowered and less helpless in life too! 

So add some physical activity into your schedule - as little as 15 minutes daily. Maybe by the end of this you'll be fitter or even be able to do 10 (or 100!) press-ups! 

There are many options to boost your physical strength and health. Here are some ideas:

• Take up a yoga practice - excellent for strength-building, flexibility - and calm!  Personally, I signed up for DDP Yoga On Demand.  It has videos that involve no equipment.  This is yoga that will get your heart pumping.  If you need a testimonial, watch this amazing video.
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• There are lots of online options. Here is one with everything from 10 minutes for beginners to advanced practice. Sarah Beth Yoga on Youtube has more (free) yoga videos than I can count 
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• Learn to do a press-up or push-up. Then see if you can get to 10 (or more - depending on where you start)! 
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REMEMBER: BEING stronger = FEELING stronger and more in control! And building your PHYSICAL strength or fitness = REDUCED feelings of helplessness!

Why Just Survive When You Can Choose to Thrive? Tip #1

 

Fierce Focus Coaching and Consulting

This COVID-19 crisis has radically changed our lives. Just a few months ago, we had no idea our 'world' would be confined to our homes! 

This crisis is a powerful reminder of how important freedom is - and how much we need human connection!  

Remember you are not alone. Because what is DIFFERENT here is that everyone is impacted! Your neighbour, mom, boss and friends as well as your counterparts around the world are all going through something similar. 

So, it's important to remember: 

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. Viktor E. Frankl 

We are all in this together.  Now is a time to show kindness, patience, and gratitude for others.  It is also a time to give those things to yourself! 

Over the course of the next few days, I will share some ideas that I have gathered that might help you not only survive during this time, but actually thrive.   

Day 1 - Create a Healthy, Supportive Routine 

When we feel powerless or helpless (as so many of us do at the moment), one EXTREMELY easy thing to do is to create a routine or schedule. 

While we're all stuck in anxiously waiting at home, it's easy to lose our sense of time. Days can begin to blend into each other. A routine can give us an anchor and greater sense of control over our lives. And if you have children, creating a routine is especially important to give them a sense of normality. 

This routine or schedule can be as simple as: 

• 7am - Wake-up 

• 8am - Breakfast 
• 10am - Exercise 
• 11am - Talk to friends 
• 12.00pm - Lunch 
• 1-4pm - Learning or a home project 

• 5pm - Make & Eat Dinner 
• 7pm - Talk to close family 
• 8pm - Reading, Journaling 
• 10pm - Bed 

Be sure to include food preparation, social time, exercise and outdoor time and some learning or creativity so you get some benefit from this challenging time. 

It's also important to recognize weekends because it's too easy for weeks to blur together. So, make a looser schedule for your weekends. For example, you could include: 

• Sleeping in/later bedtime 
• Brunch 
• "Treats" 
• Movie night with popcorn 

• A virtual happy hour with friends or colleagues 
• A larger project, perhaps some art, craft, gardening or home redecoration. 

So, create a routine for a sense of control and mastery over your environment and life circumstances. Reclaim what power you can over your own life, because with all this uncertainty it's important for you - and especially important for children - to have predictability.