From Crisis Mode to Connection Mindset

Shifting Crisis Mode to Connection Mindset

We are living in unprecedented times here in the United States. Some of us are worried about food, jobs, getting sick or whether we have enough toilet paper! Who knew when we started this year we would end up in conflict over TP?

It might not seem like a crisis to some, but if you have kiddos that are locked up at home with no plans for the foreseeable future, it may quickly feel like we are in crisis mode. So, the question is, what do we do about it? How can we do to shift from reacting to a Crisis Mode to into Creating Connection?

First, I will say that I’m not perfect and I’ve fallen into Crisis mindset myself and am sharing this with humility today. The world is in reactive state and it feels like we are spinning out of control in some ways. Some people are blah za blah about this Corona Virus while others seem to be about to have a showdown over toilet paper. What does this all boil down to? One word:

Fear.

The world is afraid. Underneath this reactive mindset is fear that we cannot control what is happening. Fear of getting sick, losing money, our jobs, losing loved ones, or dying ourselves is the subtext to the underlying anxiety many people feel. The sooner we allow ourselves to embrace this truth, the quicker we can get clean and move forward and create connection in ourselves, our kids, our household and our communities.

Friends, just admit it. We are afraid. Underneath it all, is our deep seated fear.

So what do we do about this?

1. Now take a deep breath, and close your eyes and just name what it is you fear. “That my kids will be stuck home for the rest of the school year and I don’t know how I will entertain them, work, stay sane, etc.” Fear that “I will get laid off and I won’t be able to pay my mortgage.” Speak the truth of what your deepest fears are.

2. Now take another deep breath and what is the worst that can happen? For example, “I will go nuts and be put in an insane asylum.” Or “I will have to move to a smaller house/apartment etc”. Keep going and let it all out. Follow this train of thought all the way down the rabbit hole.

3. Now let go. Breath it all out. And let it go for you. Let it go for your kids. Let it go for the planet.

4. Great. Now, ask yourself this question: What is the blessing that I can see that has come from this international crisis? It might be more family time or time outside. What are you most grateful for? Write it down.

After this, I want to invite you to repeat this exercise with your spouse, kids, friends. Regardless of their age, they have a fear. And with younger kiddos they can either have boogeyman fear or college anxiety. Create space for them to really share what it is they are most afraid of. And LISTEN. Don’t talk or reassure them. Just be present for them in a way that most of the world isn’t.

Now that this is clear. Talk with them about what do you want to create together through this current global situation. More family time? Connection through games? What are the ways we can support one another virtually?

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” William James