We have been observing an increase in the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty with the spread and far-reaching effect of coronavirus. Without a doubt, we are in a serious crisis but we all are in it together and we need to find ways to survive through it. The psychological conditions of the majority of people these days are only worsening an already challenging situation.

We at MUMKIN bring mindfulness to people so that they can unlock new ways of thinking and working. As a member of a coaching company, let me share a bit about how the human mind responds to a crisis like this corona pandemic.

It is a natural tendency of the human brain to get distracted even without any bombardment of worrisome news. Many studies have shown that 58% of workers reported a failure to control their attention at work. A human mind can get trapped in negative thinking quite easily when it wanders.

This tendency gets exacerbated during times of crisis – like the one we are living through these days. With this comes more obsessive thinking coupled with the feelings of fear and helplessness. A chain reaction activates when you are stuck in this state of mind.

The feeling of fear and helplessness restrict your field of vision and then it gets tougher to think about the bigger picture or the positive outcomes in front of you.

These days, the news of how extensively coronavirus is spreading plays into our worst fears about others and the feeling of isolation gets intense which only adds fuel to our worries.

We all are experiencing the first-hand effects of coronavirus these days. We are affected by travel limitations, plummeting stock prices, shortage of supplies, etc. These things are not in our control. However, what we can control is our reaction to this. The important thing here is to remember that our emotional and psychological response to a crisis is natural.

However, it often can contribute to our suffering by cluttering our mind, and from keeping us seeing the best course of action clearly. The anxiety around the spread of coronavirus and financial entailments along with all the other dark scenarios flooding the news and social media are to a large extent our own making.

Mental resilience can help us overcome this feeling of fear and helplessness. Resilience is the ability to maintain stable mental wellbeing while facing challenging circumstances. It is the ability to cope with the crisis – both mentally and emotionally – and return to pre-crisis status quickly.

Resilience can protect us from the potential negative effects of stressors. Resilience is a skill that can be taught, nurtured and trained.

So, now the question is how to build resilience especially in the face of adversity. Here I am sharing three effective strategies that will help you in handling stress during these tough times and boost your mental resilience.

Calm The Mind!

Pay attention to calm your mind by clearing out unnecessary thoughts. This will help you focus on what really needs your attention. Take some time to observe and manage your thoughts. You can learn more about why suppressing negative thoughts is a bad idea to better understand how to manage your thoughts.

So, instead of trying to suppress your negative thoughts, gather your energy to hold your focus on what you prefer versus what pulls you with each ring of the breaking news notification.

For example; you can choose to hold your focus on how good it is to be able to work from home versus keep checking news of how many patients have died worldwide due to coronavirus or how much stock market has dropped now.  

Maintaining a calm state is essential in building resilience. Not only it keeps the minds from drifting away and getting hooked into negative thoughts, but it also decreases the pits of anxiety and stress that we can easily get trapped in.

Over and above, we start building resilience as we keep practicing bringing ourselves back to the present moment because it strengthens our capacity to cope with the situation.

Train Your Brain to be More Optimistic

Optimism can be defined as hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something. It is the belief that the outcome of some specific struggle would be positive.  There is a lot to be said for optimism. Having a positive attitude generates good energy. Some people are optimistic by nature while many of us can learn it as well.

Be positive by all means and hope for the best, but, at the same time, be prepared for the worst. Keep an eye on the downside risks of your plans and be mentally prepared for them. Do your homework pretty well to protect yourself from any potential loss.

Build Connections with Compassion

We all are in a lockdown situation where educational institutes and support communities are closed off, events are canceled, and businesses are ordained work from home strategy and travel restrictions. All these limitations are only growing our sense of isolation and separation.

Create meaningful connections with others through compassion, and this can be achieved even by following the recommended 6 feet social distance. With compassion, you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes to better understand their situation and feel for them. Showing kindness, caring and willingness to help is compassion.

Seek Professional Help

Many people can build their resilience on their own by using their resources and kinds of strategies that are listed above. However, some may get stuck on the road to resilience. And, it is okay to get the professional help for this purpose.

A licensed and trained professional such as a life coach can help you in formulating suitable strategies to move ahead. MUMKIN offers professional life coaching sessions to help you become a better version of yourself.

It is important to remember that you are not alone on the journey to build resilience. Though you may not be able to control all of your circumstances you can surely manage the situation with professional support and commitment.