#1 Way To Cope With The Stress Of Coronavirus

Figuring out how to cope with the stress of the Coronavirus — COVID-19 — is a very real thing for millions of people around the world. And I’m not dedicating this blog to worries in regard to the actual virus, but rather how so many of us just feel off. There are too many new normals happening all at once:

• Comfort foods only
• No exercise
• Wonky sleep
• Kids at home
• Loss of work
• Routine disrupted

So, the best way — and there is no close second — to cope with this pandemic is to control your schedule.

Anything that’s impacting your routine is going to have an effect on your mood. And when your mood is negatively impacted, it’s a downward spiral from there. That’s when all the poor choices start kicking in (see: food, alcohol, sleeping in, etc.).

At this point, though, it doesn’t do any good to stand in the middle of a house that’s burning down and point fingers trying to figure out who set it on fire. We need an exit plan and a strategy to survive!

Hence, being on top of your schedule, like:

• Bedtime
• Wake time
• Establishing new anchors

Allow me to get deep on anchors…

Many of our habits are tied to places and things we do each day — which we are now not doing.

Let’s say you normally listen to your favorite podcast (The Chalene Show, anyone?) while driving to and from work. This podcast is your go-to for whatever — health, business, personal development, news, etc. Well, you might not realize it, but now that your offices are shut down, that podcast has all of a sudden disappeared from your life, too. And it just happened to be a major source of joy and meaning in your day-to-day existence.

The anchor (your roundtrip office drive) is gone!

You need new anchors as quickly as possible to cope with all of the change in your everyday life due to Coronavirus.

Take out a pen and a piece of paper and make a list of the things that haven’t happened, that normally would happen, which are currently making you feel out of sorts.

Maybe it’s:

• Going to your fave coffee shop
• The time you spend in prayer
• Taking that 6am gym class

Tip: The easiest way to develop habits is to establish which anchors you currently do have and stack new habits on top of those.

Like, what can you add to the habit of brushing your teeth or taking a shower or making your breakfast?

For more on this topic on how to cope during this uncertain and, frankly, scary time for many… please check out The Chalene Show episode below:

And don’t forget to subscribe to TCS for weekly pods devoted to your overall health and wellbeing! 

By the way, for my absolute favorite way of building and tracking habits, check out PUSH Journals! They are 100% my daily staple!