How to stop coping and start living was the title…

A few weeks ago we were in the library when the kids were looking for books I started looking at the news articles on my phone. I haven’t been watching much news recently. I will absolutely admit I’m struggling with everything that is going on in the world so I fight between wanting to be informed and wanting to shut it all out. 

It got to a point when I was reading these stories that I could feel my heart beating fast and I felt I was almost becoming overwhelmed with it all. Cue me putting my phone away straight away and I just sat and listened to the kids chattering away and just did some breathing to slow my heart rate down. 

I wouldn’t say I’m particularly prone to this kind of thing but I have noticed that over the past few years my resilience levels aren’t where they used to be. Is this a bad thing? Mostly yes but there is a tiny wee bit of me that is aware that I need to address how I cope with this and you all know how much I enjoy self-improvement. 

I started reading an article in Men’s Health magazine titled ‘How to stop coping and start living’. It had some great points and it was centered around active coping, which helps you face challenges head-on rather than trying to deal with the stress they keep dumping on you. I’m 100% positive there is more to unpack in this but what i gleaned from the article is that getting out of my own head, unsticking the stuck thoughts, looking at the supposed roadblock and actually assessing whether it is as unsurmountable as I believe it to be can be one of the best things to do. 

Taking action to move myself out of this mindset is my most tried and true way to get me moving again. Setting my schedule, finishing the tasks I have said I was going to do, getting this out to you, all these things help me move from (mildly panicked to more focused and positive). 

Another bit of gold to come out of the article was setting your intention for your day. Figure out the two or three things you most want to accomplish today and set about getting them finished. This also echoes the book ‘Eat the frog’ by Brian Tracy (a great read) if you haven’t read it I would absolutely recommend you do.  At night make sure you wind-down well but before doing that make sure you have set your intention for the next day and list your priorities for that. In that way it’s a better opportunity to be present and fully embrace that wind-down period. 

How have you been coping? Do you have any strategies you could share?