Coronavirus Pandemic: How to Stay Positive | COVID-19

With the coronavirus causing havoc, it seems like a good time to share an awesome exercise designed to create a sense of ease in life. Even if this outbreak gets a lot worse, we will still benefit from staying calm and grounded. I’ve been coaching for 20 years and much of that time I’ve also had a coach myself, so I’ve tried all kinds of personal growth exercises and techniques for keeping my head on straight. But this one I particularly love because it refreshes your mindset, as well as creates a meaningful opportunity to connect with friends.

Try having regularly scheduled calls with a friend where you generate ease.  The idea is that you talk about all the ways that something turned out to be easier than expected, or where you got lucky. You notice something that you usually take for granted, focus on the silver lining of a situation, or identify a problem that you don't have that maybe some other person you know is facing. If you are like me and most lawyers, your life is busy and stressful, even when you are not dealing with genuinely serious situations. Left to our own devices we can get caught up in the problems rather than staying grounded in all the blessings in our lives.

Here is an example of me generating ease:

Ease is showing up for me in the fact that it is sunny today, which makes it easier to feel happy. There is ease in the fact even if we do get quarantined, there is so much great content that we will never be bored. We can read digital books, watch a slew of great TV, listen to interesting podcasts.  There was ease in getting an awesome new client today. He scheduled a consultation, and hired me on the spot. Super easy. It’s supposed to work that way, but there is ease in systems working the way they are supposed to. There was also ease in getting what I needed from tech support this morning.  I was dreading it, but I called and it only took about ten minutes. 

You get the idea.  This would change every day. It’s something you create on the spot, based on whatever is going in in your life at that moment.  One day you might talk to a someone who is caring for aging parents, and in your next ease call, you might mention how much easier your life is because you are NOT dealing with that.  My friend mentioned the other day that her young child is biting other children. In my life, I’m dealing with teenager problems, but at least no one in my house is biting anyone.

These calls for generating ease only take about 10-15 minutes. You split the time with your friend. While you talk, your friend just listens, and vice versa.  If you want, you can make supportive comments at the end, but the primarily goal is to be a supportive listener. You can do this once or twice a week. Some people do daily, right before work. Others talk every Saturday. The important part is just that they are scheduled on a regular basis.  I think you will find that it is a meaningful way to connect with a friend and helps you to stay positive and present to gratitude whether you are just dealing with everyday stresses or a scary pandemic.