I know in we are knee deep in the age of “personal development” everyone wants to learn and grow and heal themselves!

Which is AMAZING.

But, there is actually an information overload happening. We are CONSTANTLY consuming information, and our brain just can’t keep up.

We have over 2 million bits of information coming at us every second, your brain is constantly processing. Information comes in from all of our senses. From the sounds we hear, sights we see all around us, feelings and emotions we are feeling, our body's response to the food we've eaten, to what you are touching or sitting on.

Our brain can actually only to process 148 bits of information every second. Because of this the rest of the information coming in gets deleted distorted and generalised.

So, if you are a person that loves to "MULTI TASK LIKE A BOSS!" and keep up the HUSTLE to get things done… the truth is you are on the fast track to burnout. 

And in my experience, this is where that unsettling feeling of not being FULFILLED in life comes from. We are spreading ourselves so thin, we have so much processing going on in our mind - we cannot literally be in the present moment to find JOY.

What am I talking about?

People today (me included!) are glued to our screens, either on zoom meetings, our laptops, social media or TV for the most part of our day. Most of the time we have multiple screens going at once.

How many times have you been watching a show and scrolling Instagram or Facebook at the same time?  

Listening to the news show in the morning and reading on your ipad at the same time? Or, attempting to do 3 things at once - podcast going, finishing a work email and making dinner all while juggling the kids or our partners needs?

We think the more we consume and "fit in" the better off we will be.

IT IS JUST TOO MUCH.

"Your mind is like an instrument, a tool.
It is there to be used for a specific task.
And when the task is completed you lay it down”.  - Eckhart Tolle​

There is an incredible book by Eckhart Tolle called THE POWER OF NOW. The essence of the book Eckhart shares through his research that the only way to find fulfillment and feel joy is literally being present in the now.

Not 5 steps back in the past processing old hurts and emotions. Not 5 steps ahead in the future worrying about all the "what if's". Not with your head being flooded with an overload of information all the time..

It is about being here and now, NOT multi-tasking every moment of the day. 

I used to cram in audio books and podcasts to every bit of space I could, while cooking, while cleaning, while doing the laundry, while driving. Then at night I would be watching TV flicking through You Tube videos or Instagram.

I was mentally and physically EXHAUSTED, and I had no idea why. I wasn’t sleeping, I felt wired. I would reach for sugar to pick me up in the afternoons. The lack of sleep funks up our emotions, responses and reactions. 

I know you are probably thinking I have so much to do! And we often feel time is running out.

But, it’s not. Everything happens and gets done on time, when you allow it.

How do you do that? You focus on one thing at a time, you be realistic with your time frames of what you can get done. And some things will have to go on the back burner.

The key is really two things:

2. Make it a priority to build in pockets of quiet time, down time for your brain to process 
If you have so much noise coming in then you aren’t allowing the time and space for creative thoughts to come out. Get out in nature go for a walk, without the head phones. Take yourself out for lunch, and just be present.

I could never work out why I literally have the best ideas in the morning while having a shower – does that happen to you too? Then, I realised it is because it is the ONLY time of the day I was doing 1 thing at a time and having a shower you block out all the external noise! Get it?! Thinking time, processing time is gold.

2. Stop multi-tasking everything, every hour of the day
Yes at times you’ll have to juggle, that is for sure. But this notion that we, as women have to hustle and grind and work harder and do more to succeed is such a masculine energy.  Or the feeling that WE have to do it all and be responsible for it all is crazy!
 
Sometimes I actually have to say to my husband – not now, I am doing this and I can only focus on 1 thing! He was shocked when I first told him. Because of course I was the ultimate multi-tasker and the holder upper of everything.

                                                                Watch full video HERE

Focus on 1 thing at a time, with the intention of being present. And see how different that feels, less stress producing it feels. AND how much more productive you actually are.

Just like you prioritise work, or the kids or your dog, or exercise. You also need to block time for Personal Development, and also allow space for silence and processing time.

You will likely have to get better at time blocking.  Start with a baby step – which might look like choosing 1 thing this week, that you would normally be multi-tasking and just focus on that one thing.  Allow the silence and thinking time to seep in.

Calming the mind, is never a bad thing!

​Email me or comment below with any questions on this topic? If this resonate with you today please tell me what is your first step going to be to reduce the over stimulation this week?

​​

1. Stop checking the stats + #’s every morning when you wake up
2. Minimise your news/social media time - IF it is causing you angst! Be intentional with what you watch. Just tap in for 10 mins a day. Or, even better - I ask my husband to relay it to me what I need to know. 
3. Get outside - even though it is winter, grey and cold and gloomy – making a pact with yourself to get fresh air, even if its miserable and wet. This will help you immensely!
4. Call your people - stay connected, check in on your friends and loved ones, keep the channels open
5. Random acts of kindness will fill your cup - I cooked a big pot of veggie soup the other day and dropped a tub off with a loaf of bread on a friends doorstep who had been unwell. It gave ME purpose, and HER some soup cooked with love :)
6. Share your feelings with someone - and if you need to reach out for professional help, there is ALWAYS some to talk to. I'll post the links to Beyond Blue and Lifeline AA and Al-Anon hotlines below.
7. Positive Affirmations + Mantra's – reprogram your mindset with positive language - when you start to spiral use this mantra:
8.                                  "I am healthy. I am safe."
9. Remember to breathe - if you do get triggered stop and use 3 deep breaths, inhale and exhale using your full diaphragm to bring you back into the present. 
10. You can control your mind! Flick the switch to stop the negative loop. Your mind is a powerful tool. Ask yourself “Is this real?"
11. Shifting the emotions with support - Calm Pro.M.Emo Essence is a natural herb essence I use for calming my body response to fear and frustration. Click the Promemo link for more info

Lastly, this too shall pass!

We’ve seen other Australian states do it and New Zealand! They are showing us what is possible.

We can too!

Anxiety is 100% the physical response your body has to fear. Sometimes the fear stems from a real threat. If you’ve ever been bushwalking and seen a snake you would be absolutely grateful your body responds to the threat and triggers you to move to safety.

More generally in our everyday life or work-home-sleep-repeat the fear typically comes from an imagined danger. Meaning that the fear emotion is caused by our own thoughts. Things (or obsessing!) about the future and all the unknowns is what actually triggers the fear.

​Your worried and fearful thoughts then spark a hormone response in your body. Your body is flushed with cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones as the fight or flight mode gets turned on. Your body thinks it needs to act on these fearful thoughts and either get you out of the situation or fight it.

The anxiety symptoms you get may differ from the woman next to you - stomach-ache, racing heart, racing mind, the shakes, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, muscle tension, insomnia etc
The problem is that the body is amped up, just from what you’ve been thinking!
The stress hormones have nowhere to release.

The good news in all of this is that I “thinking” got you in the situation, then our thoughts can be changed and ultimately get us out of it!

If you suffer anxiety, the key to freeing yourself is learning how to master your mind, and doing some work to heal your unconscious belief system and release that base level emotion of fear.

​The flow on effect is that our body response changes!

So, if you are ready to release the fear here are my 3 steps to help you start to learn to shift your anxiety:

I bet you’ve looped around in your mind down a rabbit hole of “what if this and what if that happens” over analysing and over thinking every possible scenario of this situation GOING WRONG.

It is basically your imagination having a field day. Triggered by that first fearful worried thought.
So, when the loop starts, I want you to catch yourself. Sometimes that is the hardest step. Catch the thought process before it spirals. If you can do that, you can master anything.

First things first move your body, go for a walk, get some fresh air, take some deep square breaths. Get out of the space you were in. You want to move your body and shift that flush of stress hormones. Remember the fear from your mind has just flooded your body with hormones.

Then Ask yourself: Is this a real or imagined scenario?

Am I on the “what if” loop Janel was talking about AND imagining every possible scenario going wrong, and being the worst it could ever be?

Say to yourself “This situation is not real. It is not set in stone. It has not happened. I am safe, I am safe, I am safe”

Use this like a mantra and keep repeating it until the feeling begins to lighten as you realise that this is your imagination taking you places that you do not need to go.

Break it down into specifics to get clear on the fear:

• What am I afraid of? Slow down, and tune in. 
• What specifically am I anxious about? 
• Why is that a concern?
• What are you specifically worried about in THAT concern?
• How is that a problem for you right now?
• What is this stopping you from doing, or causing you to do right now? Are you lashing out? Are you an emotional wreck?

And once you’ve got specific about it then get rationalise it, lets shine some reality on it!

Ask yourself “What would happen if this thing, that you now realise you’ve imagined in your mind, did actually happen?

On a scale of 1-10 how likely is it that this could actually happen.

And if it did how bad would it be? Is it really as bas as what you’ve imagined which is the sky is falling.

Sometimes our imagination has us down a rabbit hole and in reality, on the scale the event actually happening is like a 2-3, or but the fear in us triggered as a 10.

This step is all about perspective.
​

Why is Anxiety is showing up in your life?

This may be an entirely new concept for you, and it may or may not resonate and I’m ok either way.

I’m talking about the WHY – have you ever asked yourself WHY is this fear showing up in your life? What do I need to learn?

A growth mindset says that everything we go through, every challenge every obstacle is an opportunity to learn and shift and grow.

Tad James, one of the founders on Neuro Linguistics Programming, the coaching modality that I have been professionally trained in states that :

“Anxiety is your unconscious mind telling you to focus on what you want” – this body response you are having is reminding you to stop and focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want.

So, what is your anxiety trying to tell you?

Maybe even instead of hating on your anxiety could you shift your perspective and see your anxiety as a signal from a friend within?

And when you start to feel anxious you realise this friend is asking for your attention? She wants you to wake up. She wants to work with you, there is something she wants to tell you.

So, ask her – ok friend you’ve got my attention. What am I focusing on? Am I focusing on what I want, or what I do not want?  

• Ask – what do I want here?
• Is that toxic job or friendship or relationships not what I want? And yet I continue to keep going back?
• Do I keep pushing myself to do things in situations, or for other people that I really do not want to do?

This concept may take some time to ponder, but this is what I am here for!

I am here as a Mindset Coach to stretch your conscious and unconscious thought process to help you get back to thriving.

If you struggle with Anxiety and you would like to find freedom from this grip of fear in your life, then I would love to help you.

I run a 2 session short program that will help you to identify the root cause or event that has programmed your anxiety and release it. You’ll get an understanding of the specifics of what triggers your anxiety. And you leave the session with an amazing tool – you will learn my anxiety release technique to have help you in future.

Email me here or comment below for more information!

Take care, 
JB

Even when you do the work you can still slip up - I guess I am human!

And I was triggered by fear after a simple trip to the supermarket with my son.

It was not a huge traumatic event, there was no "incident" involving a masked robber or ANYTHING that anyone else would have noticed. 

In fact to be honest the entire ordeal was happening IN MY MIND. 

And that my friends, is how anxiety works. 

My fear was triggered from something I saw in aisle 1 and then how I perceived MYSELF to be unprepared to be at the supermarket with my 7 year old son (who btw cannot keep his hands out of his MOUTH!!!).

The loop of fearful thoughts started spiraling and in a split second I felt like a crazy woman. I reacted in curt words and anxious panic trying to flee.

My anxiety may look different to yours, it comes out in a angry irrational burst, often yelling, or demanding of the people around me. It feels like I can't control anything, so I need to push, manage and control the people around me. It feels like time is on fast forward and can't stop it. ​

Thankfully, I now understand my anxiety and I know when my fear has been triggered. 

I typically can see it on the face of the person I am directing orders at (eeeek!), and I can feel the stress hormones in my body making me want to fight or flight (double eeeek!). My husband is also good and recognizing the patterns and calmly and kindly asking me to "check myself"!

I was then able to move through the fear using 2 simple techniques that you can use too:

1. BREATHING TECHNIQUE TO CALM MY RACING THOUGHTS

2. REPEATING TO MYSELF AFFIRMING WORDS

Watch my video below to hear the full story and learn about the 2 simple tools I used in more detail to apply to your life.

This is exactly how I worked through it - and I offer guidance to you so that if you find yourself in a similar situation at any point during COVID-19. - you'll have the tools too!

I share this story with you to let you know that if you've been gripped by fear during this crisis, you are absolutely not alone. It happens to the best of us. And if you watch the Mel Robbins video below, you'll see that it even happens to the most famous of us too!

Some sleepless mornings have been more productive than others. I've actually come up with some good content and blog ideas! (lol) 

I can almost handle a 5am wake up if it's an idea that's worth it! But, I am no good with multiple nights of broken sleep. I know some people (like my husband) can thrive on little sleep, what about you?

I am NOT one of those people. I need 8 hours to function. The baby years were the HARDEST for me. My lack of sleep typically means get ready... a cold or something else is coming!

WHY IS SLEEP SO IMPORTANT ANYWAY?

1. Mindset and clarity - sleep allows your brain to clear waste from the brain and supports learning and memory (fun fact!)
2. Rejuvenating your body - sleep gives your body and organs time to repair cells and recharge your energy
3. Immune health - sleep helps your immune system to regroup and fight off any bugs

BUT, WHY CANT I SLEEP WHEN I'M SO EXHAUSTED?

• You can feel extremely fatigued but, in fact, not be ready for sleep
• An active mind that is super charged won't shut off - the more your thoughts race actually the more alert you become
• Your body could also be feeling tense from stress and still switched to "go mode" and hasn't yet got the "time for sleep" memo

What I've had to learn to do over the years is pretty simple - there are a few key things you can do during the day to help you get better, deeper, more nourishing sleep at night. 

Now, I actually set up my DAY for a GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP.

What I realised recently was that none of the SELF-ISO environment we are living in right now is helping our sleep patterns because most of us are...

• Staying up later than usual - lets face who has anywhere to be in the morning?! 
• Tripling our amount of screen time - binging Netflix is LIFE!
• Doubling our coffee intake - probably because having a coffee feels like you're taking a "break"
• Drinking more wine - well... it's not like you have to drive or be somewhere!
• Eating more chocolate - need I say more?

So, if your sleep has been “off” lately then check out my latest video.
I share some simple tips to help you find better sleep! Little things that I do during the day and in the evening to help me find sleep easier and get a better quality of sleep.

I've spoken to a lot of women who are absolutely exhausted. And actually, I am too... 

From navigating our way through the uncertainty of information, from sleepless nights of worry, from having to adapt to new work / child care / home school arrangements. It is no wonder we feel exhausted with so much change!

We are still juggling LIFE, but our life has been compacted down to four walls and a daily walk! To stay healthy and remain safe we are being forced to find a "new normal".

Those lucky enough to still have work are extremely grateful, but are telling me they feel more drained from this new "work from home" environment than ever before!

Why is that?  Isn't home where we love to be? 

Well, not everyone.

• Some people feed off the energy of having other people around them. Working in a busy environment with people coming and going is how they thrive
• Some people now have more time alone with their thoughts than ever before, without the usual external distractions... and that can be daunting
• Some people find it difficult to be stationery, when we've been living at warp speed for so long putting the brakes on and coming to a halt is a major shock to our system!

My clients are telling me they are actually missing getting up and getting dressed for work. Missing having somewhere to rush to, driving to work and stopping at their favourite coffee shop. Morning chats with people in the office.

Are you too?

I went for a drive the other day to the post office. I was so excited to get out of the house going for a drive it reminded me of how excited my dog gets when she gets to hang her head out the window on car rides! (LOL!).

I guess the biggest take away from this whole experience is that the little things matter. Those simple daily activities we take for granted.

The truth is humans thrive on routine.

When we wake up and it's ground-hog day and our only plan for the day is to move from our bed, to the kitchen, then to the couch... this actually drains our energy. We aren't using our brain, we aren't motivated or setting ourselves up for productivity. 

1) Right now the best thing you can do for your mental health and your energy is to get into some sort of routine.

For me, my morning routine is my saving grace (10mins each = meditation, journalling, yoga). Up before anyone else in the house is awake. 30 minutes of me time.

You have to find what works best for you.

A pocket of time to set yourself up for a good day. A morning walk, reading a chapter of an inspiring book or maybe you drink some warm water with lemon? (I would not recommend as part of your routine you watch the news or pick up your phone to scroll social media! lol)   

THEN, you begin your day :) 

2) Book in a couple things (activities, chats with friends, online fitness classes) EACH WEEK s o that you have SOMETHING to look forward to! Something for yourself, an activity that is JUST FOR YOU.

I recently booked in a weekly morning meditation class, and a yoga class. Both are online and with teachers that I love. Both fill my cup with joy at the prospect of seeing this people each week. The cost was minimal, they are also so happy to have work. I've committed to 4 weeks at a time. The benefit of knowing I have "somewhere to be" for me has been is HUGE! 

3) If you are still blessed to be working, but are struggling with the new "work from home" scenario then today I am going to share 7 tips to help you recoup some of your energy.

Watch here (or click below)

A lot of people were  battling in 2019, it felt like... "how could it ever get any worse that this?".  People I spoke with lived in hope that the dawn of a new decade would be a fresh start, and exactly what was needed...

And yet, the first quarter of 2020 totally blind-sided all of us.

First, the bush-fire crisis and now the spread of COVID-19 has left us grasping for answers. What the hell? 

Our will is being tested as we look our deepest fears directly in the eye and are being asked to put on a show of courage and strength like never seen before.

I've seen humanity come together in one breath to help raise funds for our hard hit communities, and then shattered and divided apart over the simple necessity of Toilet Paper, in the next breath.
Sadly, I've seen more relationships falter in the first 3 months of 2020 than in the last 10 years. Stress and anxiety is at an all time high as WE ALL grapple with uncertainty.

Why is this happening?  What does it all mean?  Will we be ok?  How will we get through this?

I don't own a crystal ball, but I can tell you I am almost certain that nothing will ever be the same... and I think you feel it too.

Life will change, because that is how evolution works.

The way we live, and work, and school has already had to shift, adapt, pivot. You will change through this experience. We all will. But, change in my view of the world.... isn't always such a bad thing.

It is 100% how you ride the wave of change that will determine your experience. 

“The only constant in life is change”- Heraclitus

Yes, this moment in time is NOT pleasant. And I repeat NOT.

I am exhausted (like I am sure you are too) juggling the external world changes, finding ways to still work while keeping my son entertained. If you've lost work no doubt the added financial stress and limited opportunities now feel overwhelming too. With that ever constant nagging at the back of my mind - do we have enough toilet paper, and food??

We would all just love to know - how long is this thing going to go on for? Because then, we could make a plan right? We could map out the future.

The lack of control of the outcome, is what gives us that anxious feeling. Nothing is for certain. So, how am I working to calm the waters of my mind?


​I am focusing on the 10 things I've worked out that I can control:

1. Staying home - except for an hour a day when I get fresh air and exercise or pick up food
2. My Morning Routine - meditation, journalling, and yoga to kick off my day with CALMING energy using my Ultimate Morning Routine. If you've got my Learn to Thrive journal you'll know what I'm talking about :)
3. Spreading GOOD energy and gratitude! Showing up every day online - Instagram is where you'll find me. Each Monday I post an IGTV video on ways to help you keep your mindset healthy during this time
4. Reach out to 5 people a day to check in on how they are doing, sometimes your strongest friends are the ones who need a pick me up the most. A little message of "Im thinking of you" goes a long way
5. Coaching and hold space for my clients (thankfully treating business as usual) and creating a new short 7 day program being released next month! You can get on the wait list here
6. Welcoming new clients with open arms of understanding
7. Creating a "new normal" for my son making home schooling fun (which is more like random activities to keep him off you tube!)
8. Building my immune system - cooking and eating nutritious food for me and my family, taking supplements to boost our health
9. Sleeping well - digital detox 9pm-8am! Phone is off, no TV, screen or work emails. Aiming for at least 8 hours sleep, so that I can have fresh energy daily
10. Remembering - THIS TOO SHALL PASS

I hope these ideas help you find some clarity in uncertain times too. 
​
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones!
Janel

The truth is… when we live in a world where we are expecting other people to react or respond to us in the way WE WANT them to… we are only ever going to be the ones feeling let down.

Why?  Well, we actually have zero control over other people. We cannot control the way they react or respond to us, or the things that happen in relationships.

We can hope, wish, dream, push and pull that person to our expectation level – and yet, NOTHING is ever going to happen the way we expect it to. So, what happens then?

• Feelings of resentment rise up
• Feelings of disappointment rise up
• Feelings of frustration and hurt rise up

Sometimes even a deep seeded feeling of sadness overcomes us – from that emotional disconnection. The disconnect of how you expected a person to behave, or for how things were supposed to have played out.

I want to share with you that EXPECTATION... is actually a type of control. Essentially it is where we are attempting to control the outcomes.

I say WE, because I am no stranger to putting expectations on people. I used to put people and certain relationships in my life on a pedestal. And then I could never work out why I felt so deeply wounded when things didn't play out how I had ex[ected. It was so much more than disappointment. It was a wound and crack.

It was my own unachievable expectations... hurting ME.

Many many years ago, in a romantic relationship I viewed a person in my life as better than me. I raised him up onto a golden throne, put his hopes and dreams and money-making ability ahead of mine.  In my mind I fantasized about how it would all work, how he would respond to the glory of me supporting his dream, and how he would act in kind love and gratitude for this service and in turn support me emotionally and financially. And make me happy. THE END.

I actually set him up to FAIL ME.

I EXPECTED him to be the person I had imagined in my mind, when in fact the reality in front of me showed nothing of the sort. I wasn’t allowing him to be the person that he always was, OR accepting him for who he was.

Looking back now I realise that my expectations killed my happiness.

Nothing was ever good enough to the imagined scenario in my head. How could it be? I expected too much - how could anyone one person ever live up to those grand expectations?? So much PRESSURE. And of course, when things didn’t happen as I had expected - I responded to my hurt and "wounds" by lashing out in resentment and frustration. (I was a fire-cracker in my twenties!) Then isolate feeling deeply disconnected.  Obviously, that relationship didn't last.

One of the biggest learnings in my life has been that having high expectations of people, is only ever going to hurt YOU.

Instead of having expectations, I learnt how to have STANDARDS. 

Standards are awesome, they are based on fact.
A standard is a level of quality you want to have within a person or relationship in your life.

Expectations are based on fiction.
An expectation is a strong "belief" (hope/wish) that something is going to happen the way you want it to, in the future. 

So, how do you create this shift within your relationships?

1. Calibrate your expectations on a person’s behaviour

If a person in your life is showing you their “standard behaviour” and it doesn’t align with your personal values – then know that putting an expectation on them to BE SOMEONE DIFFERENT or act differently is only ever going to hurt you.

Drop your expectations. Create your standards.

If someone is treating you a certain way that is upsetting you, and without any expectations you realise this is their "standard behaviour" towards you = then you have a choice. Do you accept this standard?

What behaviour will you allow, or and not allow in your life? If this is as good as it gets - are you happy with how it is going to be?

2. All you can control is your own emotions

How WE REACT and RESPOND to the people, situations, and conversations in our lives is the only thing we can control in our life.

It’s a hard truth to learn, and I am grateful for the lesson. I learnt that if I stopped having expectations of people in my life (and focussed on standards instead) - I could accept and value people for WHO THEY REALLY ARE.

Accepting the reality of the situation, not living with an expectation of how it “should be” means you will be able to have more control over your emotions. You are no longer pressing someone to be someone they are not.

AND on the flip side they aren’t trying to constantly live up to your expectations, and failing you. 

This allows you to feel more connected and happier in their presence.  No longer are we playing this “game” of attempting to control the story or the outcome!  You be you.  And I’ll focus on me being me.

So, how do you actually release your expectations? A good question to ask yourself is:

“Are my expectations… killing my happiness?”

• Am I expecting someone or something to be different than what it REALLY is?
• What is this persons repeated behaviour actually telling me?
• Does this person’s behaviour align with my standards and personal values?
• Am I forcing an outcome and expecting someone to give me something they actually can’t give me?

Then, return the focus back to you:

• Why am I expecting someone or something to be what it is not?
• What do I need out of this relationship, or situation that I am not getting?
• Am I willing to accept this person/relationship/situation as is?
• Can I release my expectations, knowing that doing so will allow me to have more control over my emotions and my happiness?

I know this is a big topic, and you may just be scratching the surface - I hope it has helped you to find some clarity.
JB

I have no doubt you’ve been feeling it during this 2020 Australian bushfire crisis.

As we sit and watch the devastation unfold, even though we are far removed - maybe hundreds or thousands of kilometers away from the threat - that anxious feeling of worry and hopelessness is overwhelming.
​
I have felt it too. I’ve donated, I’ve raised awareness, I’ve dropped off food, and offered my house to displaced family.  And yet, I keep thinking – what more can I do?? And what I realised was, this. 

I can front up, face my own worry, fear, and sadness and share with you how I've been keeping myself and my mindset in check. In hope that it helps relieve your pain too.

1. Accept that We Are Powerless Over this Crisis Situation
In the big picture of this bushfire crisis we have no power over Mother Nature. We have no way of knowing which way the wind will blow. No way of knowing if the temperature will spike, or the when rain will come (please pray). Or, how long this will go on for.
 
Our fear and anxiety comes from there being so many “unknowns”.
 
But, there are actually some factors that do we know right? Let’s break it down:

• We know this is a bushfire situation
• We know that trained emergency personnel are doing their best to keep everyone safe
• We know that people in effected areas have action plans in place, they want to be safe too
• We know that organisations are stepping up to help with evacuations and disaster relief
• We know that people are “doing something” all over Australia to help in this crisis

 
We may be powerless over Mother Nature, but together WE are all dong what we can to help.

2. Purge your feelings on paper (not social media)
Get out a pen and paper and purge all your feelings. Purge that ill feeling of angst, the worry, and the fear that is coming up.  The anger, the frustration. The sadness, and just have a cry. Let it all out.
 
Ask yourself “What specifically am I anxious about”
 
Through purging we release the emotions and lighten the burden, and often find clarity after writing. Often a learning or an idea of how you can help in a resourceful way comes to light.
 
I know how good it feels to be a keyboard warrior – ranting and letting all your frustrated emotions out on social media. However, often these posts can do more harm than good. Sometimes it sparks anger in others with differing opinions and that intense emotion can be directed right back at you. When you’re already anxious and feeling raw, that counterattack can be debilitating. And it takes the focus off the main thing – helping people, communities, families, lives to heal after the crisis.

3. Make an Action List of Things YOU Can Do. Big Or Small.  
We may be powerless over the situation – however, we still have a voice and we can act. One person can do a lot – but when we come together as MANY we can make a huge impact.
 
We can raise awareness, donate money/time, fundraise, offer our services, support the people in need, lobby politicians, etc etc.  Collectively we CAN DO  so much.
 
In this bushfire crisis I have already seen the power of the human spirit rise up in everyday people to help wherever they can. It has brought me to tears on many occasions.

4. Limit Your News Intake and Social Media  
Limit yourself to checking in only once or twice per day to the TV coverage or online news. Preferably not grabbing your phone or turning on the TV as soon as you wake up, and defiantly NOT before bed. 
 
The crisis is on every channel, on every radio station, the news is EVERYWHERE. It can be all consuming to you, specially if you are worried about loved ones and are anxiously awaiting updates.  

Absorbing that much negative news and sadness can be detrimental to your mental health.
 
If you are being paralysed by the horrific images and deep sadness and it is stopping you from doing what you need to do then you are no help to anyone. Not your family, not your colleagues, and defiantly not the people in need.
 
Checking in to get updates a couple times a day from one or two sources will lessen that level of anxiety. My advice – check in at 10am and 6pm. Get the update, watch what you need to and then take a break from it, get back to your action list.

It’s tempting to be glued to social media and the news. We want to be involved, we care, we have empathy - I have slipped up during this crisis too. It did me no favours. I couldn’t show up and do my part, because I was consumed by the sadness.

5. Wake up to a healthy Morning Routine  
It doesn’t have to take up much of your time. Roll out of bed and begin your day with a short 5 minute guided mediation will help to calm your mind and do wonders for your emotional resilience.
 
Spend time journalling as you eat breakfast, writing out your gratitude list, sending kind thoughts and love to the people in need all helps to refocus your mind on the good, and to raise the energy vibration of the planet to love and compassion for healing.

6. HALT – Don’t attempt to make any big decisions while you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired.  
Eating well during the day, drinking lots of water, going for a walk, or exercising will keep your body running well, so that your mind runs well.  Take care of yourself.
 
Making big decisions when you are feeling low or frazzled is never a good idea. HALT, take the time to rest and nurture yourself, so you can give more.

7. Keep Your Hands Busy  
When your mind starts racing and that anxiety is spiking - get up, move your body and keep your hands busy. It will help calm your racing mind.  Too much idle time alone our thoughts can wander.
 
Find some tasks to do, at home or work. Nothing to complex, anything to keep your hands busy. It will help.

8. Remember, This Too Shall Pass  
Keep your mind in the present moment, not thinking too far ahead. Sometimes a few deep breaths can bring you back to the present.

Remember that this too shall pass, saying it to yourself as often as you need.

This crisis will pass (hopefully soon) and all we can do is take one day at a time. Sometimes it is an hour at a time, sometimes a minute at a time. Doing what we can with the resources that we have.  Perhaps saying to yourself:

“I will not focus on solving all of today’s issues or tomorrow’s problems now. I release all worries from my mind and allow my mind time to rest”
 
I send peace from my heart to the families and communities who have lost so much across Australia, peace to our blackened bushland and all of our divine trees, peace to all our wildlife who perished. Our collective hearts weep for you. When we come together and unite as ONE we will get through this. 

Thinking of you all.
JB