“When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”
Vince Lombardi

OK, so I don’t usually relate to sports, but as the events of our nation swirl around us, Vince’s words are on constant replay in my head. Most of us know, first hand, the fear and uncertainty that pervades our lives these days. I don’t want to do a recap of the challenges that face us because they are all too familiar. What I do want to talk about is how we can choose to react.

When Vince’s words started their march through my head, I had to question myself. Am I tough? Have I ever had to be the kind of tough required these days? Am I up to the task?

Our new president gave us an assignment: Get responsible. We are all personally responsible to turn our life, our nation, our world and our environment around. Sounds HUGE, doesn’t it? It is!

Learn to “Compartmentalize”

My life, along with many of yours, has a smorgasbord of challenges right now. A friend just introduced the concept of “compartmentalizing” which can help you to stay adrift when you are overwhelmed. As a young, single mother without monetary support she developed this simple technique and has used it throughout her life when adversity struck. Basically, she shared that, when she found herself with fearful and anxious emotions that threatened to overwhelm her, she told herself…”OK, I am going to concentrate on what I am doing RIGHT NOW.”

That way, she was able to drown out all the fear and uncertainty she was feeling and was able to stride ahead with her life.

Take Action

When we get overwhelmed, we tend to become immobile. The thing that works best for me is to start taking action. And, for that I always need an action plan. When things get as crazy as they are right now, I find that I can keep busy alright…but just being busy doesn’t necessarily get you where you need to go! An action plan can help you take the small steps necessary to take you forward.

Action Plan

• Get organized: clean up your space so you can clear out your head.
• Exercise: it calms you down, allows you to think better (and look better too)
• Take care of yourself: eat healthily, take your vitamins, drink water…you know!
• Do it NOW: let’s face it…adversity can be very motivating
• Write it down: what do you need to accomplish today?
• Schedule boo-hoo time: take just 15 minutes to feel completely sorry for yourself
• Stay connected: don’t isolate yourself no matter how depressed you might feel
• Refuse to give up: get creative

Do Something for Somebody Else

One way to help when you feel completely out of control is to hold your hand out to someone who needs it. You can start small:

• Our food banks are starving…give a little.
• People are losing their homes…do you have an extra room?
• Our elderly have lost their savings and many of their friends and family. Could you help one?
• Can you barter for services? What can you do that someone else might need?
• Can you help send a child to school?
• Can you mentor someone? Can you tutor someone?
• Can you listen to your friend “boo-hoo” for her 15 minutes?

If you have additional tips or suggestions, I sure would like to hear them. We have so much to learn and share!