Is your goal to survive this pandemic or is your goal to thrive during this period of immense change? The answer to that question is heavily dependent on your mindset.
As the curve continues to flatten and as states around Australia begin to ease lockdown restrictions, many might be wondering what life will look like “on the other side” of the COVID-19 crisis.
Restarting economies after they have been in hibernation will surely be no small feat for governments and it will take a coordinated social effort over time to get businesses back on their feet, people back into their jobs and for some sense of normality to return.
For most of us, we think solely about getting back to ‘normal’. That means hunkering down and waiting out this period of isolation and business disruption in hopes that we can resume right where we left off. Our customers will return, our business partners will start trading again, our nation will open, and life returns to normal.
Our thoughts of this and our mindsets are the lenses through which we interpret these everyday events. When faced with a challenge, like we all are at the moment, do you see it as a threat, or do you see it as an opportunity?
With the amount of readily available market information out there, and the speed at with which it’s changing, it’s sometimes difficult to process it all to inform a rational decision. Some have even termed the amount of information (and misinformation) out there about COVID-19 as an “infodemic”.
It’s also worth remembering that the situation is still fluid, and meaningful economic indicators are still emerging, and can be our mental states.
One proven concept for helping you to thrive, overcome a fear of failure and instil in yourself a belief that you can realise a better future, even through unprecedented hurdles, is psychologist Professor Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset.
A person with a growth mindset believes that your talents, skills, abilities and personality can be developed through hard work, good strategies, learning from mistakes and getting input from others.
If you’re able to adopt a growth mindset, you’ll get that much needed restorative sleep, you’ll be willing to set challenging goals and persist even when you have a setback. A much-preferred way to be if we’re to keep trudging through, together.
There are however times when those set backs are unavoidable – if you’re needing that extra love during these tough times, taking time to pause, reflect and breathe can make a huge difference in our spirit, tenacity, and clarity so that we can plan our way forward – emotionally, physically and financially.
If it helps, the Smiling Mind have created a free app full of mindfulness activities and resources for you to use in many different circumstances, allowing you to optimise your mental health and wellbeing back into ‘normalcy’ again.
