This unexpected situation the Coronavirus has introduced comes with challenges across the board for many people – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The way in which we frame the situation and our attitude towards it can help us navigate through this with a sense of peace and acceptance. In this blog post, I’m giving you six powerful ways to change your mindset to the situation in a healthy way.

Find Peace Amidst the Chaos

When the quarantine first started, I found myself reflecting on what I should have been doing that day.  Prior day-to-day activities like my son’s hockey practice, family vacations and other responsibilities were no longer happening. The routines and other plans I had on my calendar were no longer a possibility, and I realized that I needed to process the situation differently.

My life experiences have taught me that “should haves” will keep me stuck in the mindset of wanting and lacking, not letting me enjoy what I can do. 

Accept the situation for what it allows us to do, flowing with the direction life takes us.

This week’s blog post is based on an article I wrote for The Elephant Journal. Here is an excerpt from it:

“When we process life as it is, rather than as we thought it should be, we open ourselves up to discover moments of peace. And yes, admittedly the current pandemic is challenging many people on several fronts right now, but tremendous growth is possible when we practice acceptance and make strides to find peace amidst the chaos.”

It is now, more than ever, that our souls hunger for peace. Help yourself feel at ease by accepting the situations life throws at us.

Choose to make peace with where you are and flow with the current of life.

In my book, SOAR, I address this same concept. Here is an excerpt from my book:

“I can confidently say that nobody’s life turns out exactly as planned. I don’t think anybody would disagree with that. Regardless of who you are or how skilled of a planner you are, everyone experiences things that are unexpected. When this happens, we always have a choice to either resist the change or flow with it. The goal in any situation should be to make peace with where you are and flow with the current. Until you have learned how to accept that where you are is precisely where you should be, you will be living in a constant state of resistance. You will never be able to absorb and enjoy the present moment because your mind will always be preoccupied with where you thought you should be. Resistance is exhausting and drains us of energy that could be directed into more productive and enjoyable initiatives.”

Acknowledge That This Situation is Temporary

More than ever, many of us currently carry heavy burdens. You may have just lost your job and are struggling to make ends meet, manage being a full-time parent while working remotely, or hoping your loved ones overcome the COVID-19 disease. Right now, these are challenging times without a doubt.

I am juggling being a single parent full-time, a teacher, a chef, a housekeeper, and a spiritual life coach to my clients. I am carrying a heavy load right now.

When you feel stretched too thin or like you can’t carry your burdens for much longer, remind yourself that life isn’t always going to be this challenging.

This too shall pass.

Despite not knowing when the quarantine will end and when COVID-19 will become history, remember, there are brighter days ahead.

Adopt a Gratitude Mindset

It is during challenging times more than ever, that we should encourage a mindset of gratitude. This will help us have a better outlook on life. Even if it’s not where we thought we would be, we can still find peace. My book SOAR goes in-depth on this mindset.

You must be intentional about seeing the good and having gratitude.

Here is another quote from my book, SOAR:

“Instead of giving attention to the gap between your current reality and the one that exists in your mind, take a moment to look around and appreciate all that you have. The goal is to close the gap. The point where each of us is in this very moment is precisely where we are meant to be. Nowhere else. Shifting into a gratitude mindset often is the point that starts the tsunami of positive thoughts. The more positive thoughts you think, the more momentum they will garner and you will eventually start to notice that energetically you feel lighter and happier and more accepting that where you are is where you are meant to be. Flow with the current of life and let the waves carry you.”

Embrace Change

During this quarantine time, it is normal for us to pine for the days of pre-coronavirus. Times when we could go to a restaurant or a public park without anxiety about getting infected with this potentially deadly virus.

Life is a steady stream of changes. Rather than trying to swim up-current, learn to flow with it.

Here is a quotation from my Elephant Journal article:

“There is undeniably a grief and loss element as we feel the void of activities and luxuries that are not currently available to us. After we come to a place of acceptance, we must shift our gaze to what we are stepping into, rather than looking back on what we have left.”

Click here to read the full article.

Focus On Opportunities

Looking for opportunities is similar to having gratitude and embracing change. However, it’s important to devote a section to it alone.

Here is another quotation from my article:

“This is a pivotal moment in time, where we can step more fully into the world of living consciously. It’s a perfect opportunity to do a hard reset and design our reality in a way that supports connection with the Universe by adopting lifestyle practices that are in our highest good.”

When you abide by the “stay-at-home” order, it may seem like there is a frustrating amount of activities that you can’t do. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, find ways to celebrate your new reality.

Make a list of the things you can do.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get your mind thinking:

-What activities am I engaging in now?
-How can I use this time to be more introspective?
-What are activities that enrich my mind, body and spirit that I can participate in?
-What areas in my life need redesigned or in what ways do I need to adjust my mindset?
-When the quarantine is over, how do I want to feel at the end of it?

Believe, Trust, and Have Faith

It is completely normal and understandable to feel stressed, overwhelmed and fearful as we continue through this quarantine.

I further express my view point in my article:

“It is in our most challenging moments that we realize we can’t do this alone, and find that we have no choice other than to rely on a higher power. Take a deep breath. We are all in this together, and the world is coming together in a big way through acts of love, kindness, and generosity. Trust the universe and its infinite knowledge and wisdom and believe that you will be taken care of.”

I hope one of these ways to rewrite your mindset has given you a new perspective on these challenging times.

If you feel you need additional support or professional guidance, please reach out to me. You don’t have to go on this journey called ‘life’ alone.

This week, implement one or all of these ways to change your mindset.