In times of stress, chaos, and unexpected change, our minds and bodies go into overdrive and either shut down or fire up to extreme overwhelm.  Download the social distancing survival kit and do these quick and easy things daily to keep yourself healthy, motivated, and productive in the midst of the unexpected:

1. PURGE YOUR FEARS: Find an outlet for your thoughts, fears, worries, etc.  My favorite ways to purge my thoughts are to journal them out or venting to a trusted friend.  Other ways my clients purge their thoughts is through voice memos, shower talk, and EFT (tapping).

2. BREATHE:  Stress brings on short and shallow breath which leads us to feeling more tense and overwhelmed.  Set a reminder on your phone to take a couple slow and deep breaths every 2 hours or so. One of the easiest ways to calm your nervous system is with the box breath technique.

3. GET CONTROL: For those thoughts that just will not release their grip on you, start a can control/can’t control list.  As things pop into your head throughout the day take a minute to jot them onto this list. This will help you to stay focused on what you can control in this moment and stay appropriately productive.

4. BE THANKFUL: Once a day, take a minute to call to mind 1) One thing you are grateful for about yourself today 2) One person you are thankful for today and why 3) One thing you have or experienced today that you are thankful for.

5. ACT FROM VALUES: In times of chaos and information overload, choosing our actions becomes a beast level feat.  To help you stay focused, think of your values and ask yourself what action would be aligned with those. Not only does that keep you moving forward, it also reinforces your confidence and 

6. “BRUSH YOUR TEETH”: Ok, that’s probably not a habit that will go, but other habits that keep us feeling sane and in control will be easy to drop if we’re not vigilant.  Take a minute to think about the daily & weekly habits you have that keep you feeling your best and how you can work them into this time. Think of it as brushing your teeth to keep the plaque off your brain. (eg. movement, eating greens, hot showers, meditation, etc)

7. PRIORITIZE:  In his book, “The One Thing”, Gary Keller emphasizes the idea that asking ourselves “What is the one thing that, when I do it, will make everything else easier?”  DO THIS! This will help you to minimize stress down the road while focusing on one thing at a time

8. LAUGH: Turn on your favorite comedian, meet your girlfriends for a laugh fest, or watch a funny YouTube video on the toilet.  Whatever you can squeeze in! Giving yourself some comic relief will reset some of those nasty anxious jitters that set in when things get crazy.

Don’t forget to download your Social Distancing Survival Kit

PS. For more support and community around stress, chaos, crisis, and claiming your confidence join me in the Claim Your Confidence community! See you there!