Being in isolation at home due to the restrictions of these weeks leads us to have a strong shock and pressure on our "old" habits. It is inevitable. In moments like this we must adapt quickly without panicking and without getting caught up in the uncertainty we have fallen into.
The only thing we need is to have an ability to react to isolation thanks to the resilient mindset.
The ability to react is the ability to resist pressures and challenges while maintaining one's own psychological and physical well-being. Rather than waiting for events to flow until you burnout, it is important to practice a resilient mindset proactively.
If we build our mental strength before we really need it, we will have a powerful tool in our toolbox that will help us avoid bottoming out.
What is a resilient mindset?
Research by Stanford psychologist Dr. Alia Crum and her team found that our stress mindset - the filter of how we perceive things to happen to us - has enormous importance when it comes to the impact that it is. stress itself has on us.
This is the definition given by Wikipedia:
In psychology, the ability to react Resilience it is a concept that indicates the ability to deal positively with traumatic events, to positively reorganize one's life in the face of difficulties, to rebuild oneself while remaining sensitive to the positive opportunities that life offers, without alienating one's identity.
People with the ability to react are those who, immersed in adverse circumstances, manage, despite everything and sometimes against all odds, to effectively deal with setbacks, to give new impetus to their existence and even to reach important goals.
Many of us are experiencing a time of stress and isolation: my advice is to see it as a positive tension for improvement. We are under pressure, and when we are "under attack" we always give the better than ourselves. Think about that particularly challenging work deadline, or about that customer yelling at you on the phone all their disappointment about a defect in your product. How often do we react to these situations? How do we react to it? In all situations we concentrate all our efforts and reach the maximum result.
If we think a little pressure is a good thing, we consider it a challenge.
We need to rediscover our leadership
As a leader we must respond to this challenge. Isolation must be a powerful motivator rather than a limiting barrier. We need to see the opportunity before the difficulty: let's embrace this challenge with all the barriers that now exist.
The positive side is that, even if you do not naturally orient yourself towards a challenging response to this situation, being aware of your reactions gives you the possibility to change your perception. Here are three ways to start changing our mindset.
Ask yourself why
Start thinking about why you are taking action. By understanding why what you are doing is important, you align your mindset with purpose - and that makes you more resilient and responsive.
You may have accepted a job where you need to develop new skills that will be useful to you in the future. Maybe you are working hard to make sure your family is supported and has everything they need. Or maybe you have a deep sense of personal fulfillment by making a difference through what you do every day.
The next time you feel overwhelmed, try to focus on what you are doing: its importance will immediately jump to your eyes.
Focus on how you will grow
We take advantage of this situation to push on the accelerator of our potential. You only grow up like this: pushing your limits forward, learning new things and stepping out of your comfort zone.
Exploring new territory isn't always fun, but that's the pressure that's there allows you to improve. One can become more resilient and improve the ability to react by intentionally seeking what one has to gain from a situation.
Change your perspective
Recognize that you have the ability to change your mind and think differently. This stressful situation must be an opportunity.
For a few weeks we are free from the whining colleague, the daily traffic and many other things that take stress to high levels: by practicing self-awareness, you can overcome your predefined thinking and rework your experience. Let's not waste our time.
All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room by himself, wrote the philosopher Blaise Pascal in 1654.
We are living through weeks where we will be in solitary confinement.
It is an opportunity to become the best part of yourself.
Staying at home means having more time for yourself, and this is an excellent opportunity to invest in your personal and professional growth.
