Last year this time or even three weeks ago, if you extended your hand to greet someone and they responded with an elbow bump, you’d be taken aback, perhaps even feel a little offended. Today, if you try to shake someone’s hand, they’d probably think you are crazy, careless or even negligent.
Of such is the abrupt turn that things have taken in recent times, creating an unprecedented level of uncertainty, which has given rise to fear, anxiety, and panic.
You see this playing out in the hoarding of face masks, the stockpiling of toilet paper and the general panic buying at the supermarkets.
People respond in these extreme ways when they feel like their well-being and survival is threatened. Whenever this happens, they feel the need to do something to make them feel as if they are in control and to regain some kind of normalcy.
As human beings, our survival is dependent on fear and anxiety. These two emotions require us to react immediately whenever we encounter a threat.
Whenever we are threatened, the emotional center of the brain, wants us to get out of harm’s way immediately.
It shouts “RUN!”
However, the rational side wants to think things through.
It calmly says, “Wait, let’s see how this plays out.”
These conflicting desires result in these two parts of the brain going back and forth arguing and cross-talking until the whole thing short circuits and panic sets in.
You end up fearfully taking actions without having a plan. The emotional side of the brain takes over and you start to take actions with the rational side of the brain playing no role whatsoever.
I’d like to encourage you not to panic, but to connect with another side of our persona which has been just as important to our survival as a species over the years – our ability to ADAPT!
Don’t panic, adapt!
Change is a constant factor in every aspect of our lives. Our ability to adapt to our ever-changing environment is essential to us running our lives effectively.
Being adaptable allows you to bounce back from adversity more quickly.
As you know stuff is going to hit the proverbial fan. Through no one’s fault, bad things are going to happen to all of us.
But if you’re adaptable, when adversity strikes, you’ll take it in stride. It won’t destroy you. You will prevail. You won’t become fixated on ‘what could have been’. Instead, you will accept the situation as a new normal by simply acknowledging that these are the new facts you will have to deal with period.
Which brings me to my second point…..
Being adaptable means being hardy.
What does that mean?
You are able to weather the storm of extreme situations such as this coronavirus crisis. It lets you tackle challenges that at first may seem impossible.
Being hardy means you have the strength to not just meet the challenges but because you’re solution-oriented you are also able to improve open what you were doing before.
When you are hardy you resist the urge to dwell on setbacks and succumb to fear and anxiety because you are focused on how to make things whole again.
Evaluate the situation
Crises such as this one can really slow you down but I don’t think it means that you have to be at a total standstill.
I see a slow down as an unplanned, albeit uncomfortable timeout.
But it gives you an opportunity to think about and assess your work.
Are you doing everything you can do now to support the projects you were working on before the crisis hits?
What activities can you do now?
Which ones will you have to put off until a later date?
Is there a strategic or career change that you have been contemplating but couldn’t find the time to act on? Now would be a good time to look into it.
Is there a way to pivot your business?
Are there areas that were being underserved or neglected?
Are there new products and services you can offer?
This brings me to my next point….
When you are adaptable, you….
PLAN AHEAD
The crisis is not going to go on forever.
It will come to an end sooner or later.
Doesn’t it make sense to be as ready as possible so that you can hit the ground running when you come out at the other end?
So start planning ahead!
Author and personal time management guru Alan Lakein, tells us:
“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”
The bottom line is– don’t let the crisis cripple you–be proactive.
Take the steps necessary to get back to life as normal as possible, as soon as possible once the crisis passes. Also, plan strategies that will help you to be better prepared for the next time an abrupt change hits us.
All I am saying is that you will feel the urge to panic….but don’t panic…. Adapt!
There’s a Chinese proverb that says, “The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher”. Bruce Lee was more succinct. He told us “Be water, my friend…..be water.”
