“You got this” says Garry John Bishop in his book, Unfu*k Yourself.

Being able to manage your own emotions, get yourself up in the morning, and see the glass as half full are all critical to being able to handle the gut punch of COVID 19. Even people who have not been affected in pay/benefits or job security are stressed by the challenges of this weird turn of events in our world.  If you are having trouble with these things, reach out for help.  Now more than ever we must give ourselves permission to ask for a hand up.

The literature is flooded with books about resilience, authenticity, inner confidence, mindfulness, and personal self-confidence.  They are all right on point.  The key to your happiness is in your own pocket.  Don’t put it in someone else’s pocket.  My favorite:  Don’t give your power away.

How do we do that when so many around us are also struggling?  How do I face my family?  How do I turn off the daemons that visit me in my sleep?  There are several strategies that work. 

I had a coaching client several years ago who would startle out of sleep every night about 1:45 AM.  His brain would race.  He couldn’t turn it off.  He would collapse back to sleep about 6:30 AM and then try to drag himself out of bed to get to work by 8 AM.  Needless to say, he wasn’t functioning well.

I offered up three strategies:  Journal his thoughts before bed; keep a note pad to write down his racing thoughts and to-do list when he woke during the night; and three practice a six-question mindfulness exercise before bed.

He came back to me the next week to say, “nothing worked.”  I tried each one.

To which I replied, “it’s only been a week. Would you suspend disbelief and try one strategy of your choice for a WHOLE 10 days.”

Reluctantly he agreed.  Twenty days later, he reported that the mindfulness six questions had worked, at least a bit.  He was still waking at 1:45 AM but he was able to let go of the thoughts and get back to sleep within an hour or so.  He did make a point of reminding me, however, that the mindfulness questions were a bit “sissy.”  Ok, there was work to be done, but I took my victory lap that he was at least tripling his hours of sleep, on average.

Be kind to yourself.  Think about your self-talk.  If you are saying terrible things to yourself…ask yourself, would you ever say them to someone you love:  You are worthless.  You will never make it.  You are a failure.  NEVER…so love yourself enough to keep your key to your happiness in your own pocket.

We will be wrapping things up next week! Until then, if you are in need of career coaching, I am opening up a limited number of FREE 30 minute coaching sessions through August. If you find yourself relating to these situations we’ve been discussing, please reach out to me to get scheduled. But don’t delay – only a few spots are available.