Has your mind caught up to your racing heart yet? Is there any chance you could, if you wanted to, calm the eff down during a year of crisis like this?
I couldn’t at first, and it’s my job to do these things and help others do the same.
But 2020 has been one long, never-ending rollercoaster and not in a fun way.
2020 is a year of crisis that started back in January with news about a virus, grew into unprecedented lockdowns, heightened with Black Lives Matter protests, ignited in West Coast fires, swirled in Derechos and so many hurricanes we exhausted the naming list for the first time, well… ever, and now the United States heads into a combustible election while parts of Europe preparing for a second wave. Oh yeah, the Pandemic… it never really stopped impacting every part of our lives.
And did I mention that beloved feminist judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg died leaving the same group who blocked a Supreme Court nomination for more than a year a ripe opportunity to pack the court with more conservative judges?
Uh, yeah. It’s been a year all right. A year of crisis after crisis that we won’t ever forget; a year where it has felt impossible to calm the eff down. It’s a generational defining moment.
And how are you faring?
A year of crisis calls for a plan
Well, if you’re like me, rationally you knew all this pandemic stuff was coming. You might have weathered all the punches the year kept throwing at us, but the low-grade anxious hum just kept upping the stakes while your mind kept shoving it away until you end up locked in with your family 24/7 and too afraid to even peek at your 401k.
It’s about that time I thought, “just how long is this going to last??”
It reminded of a line from a movie Armageddon where Owen Wilson’s character tries to brace for what’s to come and he says, “Scariest thing imaginable. Ok got it.”
This year of crisis has just kept upping the ante into something like the scariest thing imaginable. Got it. At least I do now.
How about you? What’s your plan for wellbeing in a year that’s anything but?
Hide from a year of crisis or…?
Yes, I guess we can stay huddled up in our homes, hiding under the covers or we can start to adapt. I’m not the hiding type.
My mission is to help you be the best you, only better. These times demand our A Game, right?
So let’s help each other out. Let’s start a dialogue to get real with one another and bolster each other and be the best people we can be at a time when our families, friends, and communities need that from us. And we need it from them.
We don’t have to hide under the covers. We can lead.
In April I launched a 21-Day Calm the Eff Down Challenge. Listeners to my podcast could visit my website and download the challenge for free. Then for a dedicated
I’m also committed to being on Facebook to connect people who want to use this time to improve their lives.
I needed the support and connection, as well.
So we took something kinda negative – Facebook can be like verbal abuse if you let it – and turned into a point of connection that helped is actually calm the eff down.
The challenge continues. You can start it right now. Just download the booklet.
Start day one of the Challenge with the podcast here (or find Episode 170 on my podcast).
These podcasts and exercises are designed to help you emotionally stay connected and navigate these troubled waters in very simple ways, like the 4 steps I mention here.
Think of someone you know who is a bit freaked out and can use this encouragement. Invite them to listen with you and chat about it. There are a lot of easy ways you can help others and experience meaningful connections despite this time of social distancing and isolation.
Let the dialogue begin! We’re in this together. I challenge you: Calm the eff down!
Kate Hanley is a book author, New York Times-bestselling ghostwriter, and personal development coach. Her books include Stress Less, A Year of Daily Calm, and The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide.
