It’s been a tough couple of weeks. Juggling a full-time job, an intense training schedule and life in general isn’t easy at the best of times so adding uncertainty and anxiety to the mix makes for a pretty frantic rollercoaster ride if I’m honest. 🎢😓
My anxiety has been off the wall lately and it’s partly because I am nearing the sponsorship deadline (IN 18 DAYS😱😱😱) and even if I get the money I’m not sure that I’ll even be able to go this year as the 2020/2021 Antarctic season may be cancelled altogether due to Covid-19. Which means a whole extra year of training and missing out on major life events of friends and family😢.
I feel like I’m stuck in this never-ending 🌪vortex of uncertainty🌪 and can I be totally honest?! I am SICK OF IT! I know I’m not the only one feeling like this. This pandemic has been such a stressful period for all of us, because our brains are not wired for this kind of uncertainty overload. We don’t know when it will end, we don’t know how we feel about it all; and we don’t know if we’ll ever go back to normal. And if you’re anything like me, not knowing is not ok!
So, I decided to do some research on why our brains react as they do to the 🌪vortex of uncertainty🌪 and share what I’ve learnt so far in the hope that it will help you as it is helping me.
Did you know that we are wired to always put safety first? That means that our brain equates safety with certainty and that gives us a sense of balance and peace. In that state of peace our brains are best equipped to proficiently handle whatever situation we’re facing🧠☮️. If that sense of balance and peace is threatened by a constant barrage of uncertainty, our brain loses its ability to maintain the vital connection to our rational mind, which we need to help us make sense of it all, and we can end up feeling constantly and hopelessly overwhelmed.
The good news is that we can help our brains to re-engage with that sense of safety, balance and peace by introducing some simple steps into our daily routine. These are a few that have worked for me:
• BREATHE 🧘🏾♀️: A simple technique is just to take a deep big belly breath in, hold it for a few counts, then slowly exhale and repeat.
• EXERCISE💃🏾: Whether that means dancing to your favourite tune like no one is watching, taking a long walk or training for a marathon…simply move that hot body of yours!
• RHYTHM🎶: Create a simple schedule that you won’t have trouble sticking to and then stick it on repeat like it’s your favourite song.
• BOUNDARIES📴: Friends, family, work..they’re all wonderful and can be enjoyed all the more when there are healthy boundaries in place.
• REST💤: I can’t stress enough how integral to wellbeing your sleep and taking time to rest actually is. We simply cannot function without it.
• FOCUS🧠: What are you focusing on and feeding your brain with? Is it true, is it necessary, is it healthy? Simple practises like limiting the amount of news we read/watch can help in limiting anxiety as they limit exposure to possible negative trigger words and scenarios.
• CONNECT:👨👩👧👦 Your family, friends, tribe, team, ride or die… whatever you call them, whoever they are; celebrate them when things are going well; support them when things are messy. Those connections are vital and will keep you nourished in times of deepest despair.
I’ve no idea whether this will resonate with anyone but sharing it has reminded me of a few things I need to put into place again to help me navigate these uncertain times. Know that it’s totally ok not to be ok; none of us have this all figured out and some days all you’ll be able to do is stay under the duvet, eat ice-cream and binge on Netflix❤️.