When the CLOSER editor mentioned the theme for this month, Digital Artists and NFTs, I seriously had a rebellious attitude and almost didn’t want to contribute… However, my desire to speak out so that maybe I could help even just one reader was greater. Why was I feeling rebellious? Simple. Because I miss people. I miss the real world. I miss exploring, smelling, tasting and feeling the joy of the unknown. I see how essential nature and human connections are, and I also see how technology is taking over at a very fast pace and we are losing many of the small pleasures that have connected us through the generations…These new ideas and concepts can make me feel trigged, outdated and perplexed.
For the past two months, we all have had our realities shaken up (again). What we have been experiencing in Macau, has been entirely different from anywhere else in the world at this time. While we followed through social media, the lucky ones who could get out of town, we were constrained and visited by unmeasurable stress and anxiety. During partial lockdowns and ‘stabilization’ periods, I believe most people did their best to cope… this could have ranged from moving for at least 10 minutes a day, reading books, or cooking endless recipes just so that you could have a walk to the supermarket (twice a day), etc.
And good on you! You did it! You’re still standing! So, now, just take a breath! But let me ask you: Is your mind spiraling? Are you feeling brain fog? Are you unmotivated to ‘start over?’ Let me tell you: You’re not alone! Those who know me know that I am the motivator, the “here’s a challenge to keep you going,” type of person, and yet still, I’m feeling overwhelmed. I have the tools, knowledge and determination to improve things and return to “normal”, but it is still difficult.
This pandemic has been far more than a body/health issue. It has been an actual mental battlefield that, if you allow it, puts you in a state of constant Fight or Flight mode. Some studies are being conducted on how this pandemic is making the whole world’s population have a sort of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at some level.
We have all lost someone or something (such as complete freedom), and we are not seeking help nor treatment because there’s no mandatory self-test to recognize the symptoms.
Recently I had an A Ha! moment when listening to a podcast explaining how we put ourselves into a greater state of anxiety than the actual manifestation of the event or situation that we are anxious about. So my advice to you is based on Matthew 6:34: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
It’s not easy to live like this, but if tomorrow rains or the city is in lockdown, let the frustration hit you tomorrow. That doesn’t mean you stop dreaming and planning… on the contrary: TODAY, you will need to shift and change. You will need to set your mind to only one thing at a time to save yourself from the invisible quicksand that your mind and environment are pushing you into.
So here are a few suggestions:
1. Take action on things you can control today. Maybe it’s a decision to change your job, or city or bet on educating yourself on something completely new. Sign up for personal development conferences or life-coaching that will spark a new version of yourself. A shift of perspective might be all you need to light that fire!
2. Make a plan! Map out how and where you want to get. It helps me to make short-term vision boards and re-visit my journal of what success looks like for my life mission, career, body, health, and relationships. Be specific and realistic as much as possible. Aim to reach maybe one success at a time. (Women, don’t make the mistake of simply writing “lose weight”. How about walking 20k steps per day?! Or running XXkm non-stop?). To empower yourself, align each goal with an affirmation like: “I am capable!”
3. Find your tribe and stick with them! This is my favourite. Maybe it’s your family, your church, your band…. perhaps you don’t have one yet. A community can have tremendous power over humans. Ditch (or mute) the community that makes you complain or feel miserable or dims the little light left in you. Seek people that won’t judge you but accept you and your new plans.
4. Get out there. You don’t know your tomorrow so go out and feel, make yourself look silly, get some vitamin D or boost your immunity by running in the rain and jumping in puddles. Explore every corner of your city.. I’m guilty of the millions of times I’ve thought: “Nothing happens in this city”…well, maybe nothing happens in your bubble inside this city. Language might be a barrier, but I’ve been amazed at how much we can enjoy, talk and relate when we knock out the first enemy- your mind.
Stay connected, moving and focused on making yourself happy.
