These are unprecedented times and the constant stream of negative coverage on the spread of the virus around the world, the fall of the stock markets and the economic impact, can make it seem like it’s the end of the f***ing world. It can be difficult to cope with all the uncertainty. People are losing jobs and struggling to find employment and the governments are having to release trillion dollar stimulus packages.

All of this has led to people making some strange decisions, an example of this is hoarding toilet paper. Supermarkets indicate that they are busier than Christmas and there is now over 1 billion of consumer goods purchased in 3 weeks, which is now just sitting in peoples homes. However, there are also some real issues and anxiety out there that are justified, such as people losing their incomes, falling into debt and not being able to find work.

I myself am in a precarious situation, due to strange economic times there have been recruitment freezes for many companies in Australia, where I have recently arrived. I recently wrote a similar post around this topic: Did I just quit my job before the worst recession since 1929? However, in this post I wanted to focus on some more practically minded advice, I just cram in as much next step activities you take to improve your wellbeing.

Personal Finance Panic

Another result of the current climate is that some people may be worrying about their investments; should they cash out, should they invest? In order to answer these questions people need to stop, look at the historical evidence and make calm investing decisions. Staying calm can increase your investment opportunity, ensure you don’t lose money in the stock market and generally make good personal finance decisions, or at least make the best of a bad situation.

Lockdown And Cabin Fever

My girlfriend and I are separated from our families and in a completely opposite time-zone to family members who are at risk from coronavirus. For many of you elsewhere in the world, you may also be concerned about your friends and family.

In some cases you may even be in lockdown, closed off from family and friends and unable to go about your normal routine. All the fear and negativity around it can lead to frustration, anxiety and unproductivity. There is a very real threat of death and recession, so feeling anxious and frustrated is an entirely justified response but ultimately we have to find a way to cope.

I wanted to write a post about how we can prevent, if not mitigate, some of this distress, whilst asking the question, what is this an opportunity for? Perhaps it’s a chance to read that book you never have time to read, learning a new skill or setting up a blog. First we need to look at how we can get into a state of mind where we are able to do this.

5 Steps To Maintain Psychological Wellbeing & Cope With Uncertainty

With this in mind, I wanted to fall back on my psychology roots and what I have learnt in terms of; sleep, exercise and nutrition to provide 5 key tips for maintaining psychological wellbeing throughout these troubling times.

1. Learn how to beat panic signals in the brain

Social media has had a significant impact on society. Over time we have rewired our brains to focus more information online and through social media platforms. Studies have found the white matter in regions of the brain attention and decision making can actually be degraded.

We have slowly become accustomed to seeking out more information. There’s even evidence to suggest our brains are being rewired to perceive a psychological ‘itch’ as a phone vibration, you may have experienced phantom vibration syndrome? Which research has found could have affected 90% of us.

We often scratch this itch by reading the news and this, in turn, promotes more anxiety. If you have investments you may feel the need to check the stock market for example, only to see further losses. When you start feeling panic about your situation, it’s far too easy to fall into a rabbit hole of negative thoughts and emotions and hopelessness.

We need to ignore this itch for information and habitually checking our news feed. Instead, what we need to do is understand when we feel these panic signals and focus on taking positive and productive action.

• Watch a comedy on TV
• Start journaling/scribing or even blogging
• Meditate and practice mindfulness
• Communicate more with friends and family via skype or whatsapp
• Watch youtube tutorials to learn a new skill (e.g. excel training)
• Take virtual cooking glasses or even wine tasting as some of my friends have been doing. Even Airbnb are now offering online experiences.

2. Yoga To Stretch & Twist Out That Anxiety

Yoga can reduce anxiety and your stress response. This is in part because it can trigger neurotransmitters which modulate negative feelings.

Yoga doesn’t have to be complicated or something that you need a special room for. It can be done from the comfort of your own home, with a relatively budget mat, or even a rug or carpet.

I personally prefer the movement of Vinyasa flow yoga. I feel like the continuous movement helps me get into a mental and physical flow, it’s almost like meditation. If I do something like sun salutations it feels like a very positive form of exercise which requires you to manage your breathing and feels like you’ve had a good workout.

3. Look for Silver Linings In The Job Market

This is probably the most difficult one but potentially the most helpful. For example, in a job search, it’s helpful to remember that not all jobs and industries will be affected in the same way by the Coronavirus outbreak or an economic recession. You can also see which jobs are still in demand and use the job descriptions to identify niche skills that you can learn (e.g. Python).

Many jobs can be set-up to work remotely and many employers may be looking for short term but high value contracts to get around employment freezes. However, one Kraft Heinze factory is now operating 24/7 get products out, and this may require extra staff.

Freelancing

One potential benefit of being stuck at home is that there is more time for other types of work. Even after this is all over, it might provide future work flexibility and increased income. There are also a number of sites which you can use to start a freelancing career, I am currently looking into the following:

• Upwork
• Fiver
• Toptal
• Outsourcely
• Freelancer

Entrepreneurialism

The other side of this, is that today’s problems supply a completely new set of pain points that many entrepreneurs out there will take advantage of, not just to create an income for themselves but to solve a problem. For example, guided online yoga sessions or online mediation may help to solve the loss of social interaction and in-person yoga sessions that many people go to. In turn, helping people productively use their time during a lockdown, when they feel restricted and bored.

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4. Focus on getting in the zone

There is a psychological concept, in a branch known as positive psychology called flow. This occurs when people are carrying out a task that is not too difficult and not too easy that they often enjoy. For some this might be an activity as simple as gaming, so perhaps go out and buy a PS4 or Xbox.

This can help to pass the time but if you find something useful, it can provide some kind of return to you in the future. Examples include; learning to code, learning a language or writing a book. All of which can improve your future employability or produce passive income in the form of royalties. There are a few sites I can suggest here:

• Udemy – Online Courses
• Harvard: Introduction To Computer Science
• Learn Python The Hard Way – Online Book
• Duolingo – Free Language App (with multiple languages)
• Learn Spanish – Paul Noble Audiobook (I’ve only started with Spanish but imagine the style would be the same for other languages.
• Coursera – Online Courses

5. Most Importantly – Look after yourself

For a while, when we were moving between temporary accommodations and to some extent we still are. Until recently we had been eating lots of fast food, or food high in salt or fats, which I believe was having a significant effect on our wellbeing.

With this in mind, we are now renting airbnbs with good kitchens and close to local supermarkets, so that we can buy and cook fresh healthy foods. This in turn is making us feel better and be more productive and less stressed out, or at least more productive whilst stressed out.

There are also certain superfoods that have been shown to reduce blood pressure and therefore stress. To find out more about this, read my post Productivity Hacks To Help You Save Money And Live Better: Feeling Hungry?

Exercise

We have also started to go for a walk once a day, for around an hour, ideally somewhere green or close to the river. Although I’ve already covered yoga, I just wanted to reiterate the powerful stress reducing effects of exercise and the overall health benefits which can protect you. You can read more about this in my post Productivity Hacks To Help You Save Money And Live Better: Feeling Heavy?

Sleep

Most importantly, if you are stuck at home or don’t have to get up for work as early, it can be easy to slip into a snowball effect of going to bed later and later and sleeping in the next day. This leads to you still feeling tired and sleep deprived. It’s important to keep a consistent sleep cycle and make the effort to maintain the quality and duration of your sleep.

I am completely guilty of this since I stopped working, but more recently I am getting back into going to sleep at 11 – 11:30 pm and getting up at 7.30am and I feel so much healthier, happier and more productive for it.

Sleep deprivation can impact your performance, short-term and long-term health. It can have a big impact on your mood and ability to manage stressful situations. Please read my post on sleep and productivity to get the full picture and useful tips to improve your sleep. You can also watch this video from Sleep Scientist Matthew Walker.

Three Final Lessons To Learn During A Societal Meltdown:

Ultimately there are just three points I want to double down on here. This is what I’ve learned and I hope they can help you too.

1. You have to stop looking at your media stream throughout the day. Just once or twice is enough to keep up with the latest changes. Emotions are contagious and panic spreads rapidly.
2. You have to focus on being productive and learn where you can exert control (e.g. applying for jobs / improving your interview skills). It is essential to practice stoicism in the face of adversity.
3. You have to keep yourself healthy, as this impacts your performance, decision making ability, and stress response. Getting out for a walk can make all the difference to our physical and mental wellbeing.

This last one, will help you to make robust long-term plans but also be flexible and adaptable to change. This is important during a time of economic and societal upheaval throughout the coronavirus saga. I hope you and your family get through this pandemic and the potential recession that follows okay.

MSU Is Here to Help!

You can contact me at [email protected] if you feel like you need some personal support or guidance during this time. You can also get my ultimate morning routine to smash fear and win the day.