Choose Your Words & Change Your World

Throughout each day, we have many opportunities to choose the direction of our attitude and energy. The question we need to ask ourselves is, what serves us? During this season, it’s easy to fall into fear. This is more dangerous than we realize. Author Gretchen Rubin talks about emotional contagion. She gives a great example about when someone in your home gets grumpy, it spreads and soon everyone has attitude (and not in the sassy, fabulous way). Think about that.

What kind of emotion do you want be contagious?

About positive and negative energy

There is principle in psychology about how stress resilience can be used to positively respond. Imagine how this can change your day or change your world? Not every moment is sunshine and rainbows. We need to feel our feelings. However, we can make a conscious effort to change our words, be mindful of how these things make us feel, and adjust to a more positive perspective. Sometimes it’s about simply releasing the negative to move forward. My family started a daily practice where we each say two things about quarantine life that is difficult followed by two things that we’ve learned, appreciate, ways we have found joy, or successes to acknowledge. This allows us to not put our heads in the sand, express our tough emotions, and then increase our positive energy.

While I recognize there is so much that is unknown about the c word, I refuse to say things like “the new normal” or “travel will be forever changed.” (Notice that I choose “c word” intentionally. Using that name gives it more power than it deserves.) This type of conversation feeds the fear and our collective fear is dangerous. It creates a negative energy that manifests what we don’t want. No thank you. Will things be different? Sure. However, life changes and evolves. Not being able to hug our friends, travel to a Healing Hotel, explore a new destination, or feel safe walking for long periods of time is not our new normal. It’s temporary.

How can you use your healing tools to find calm and joy?

If depression has taught me anything, it’s that this is just a moment. Today may not feel amazing, but there’s time to change that or simply look forward to tomorrow. Anxiety has shown that nothing is fully in our control so we should continue to be present in the now, write down our feelings, and bring in the logic. After all of that, meditation is a magnificent way to bring down the fear and breathe more deeply. With all my years of therapy, meditation, yoga, and a strong gratitude practice, I’ve honed my skills to help my family and others while the world waits to reopen.

Will travel change forever?

Maybe not in the ways that are being discussed in the news, on webinars, and on social media. Why not consider the positive way it will shift in the future? Travelers will have more gratitude for the opportunity to see, discover, and connect. People will be more respectful about personal space, not out of fear but because they care. Even if we’re on that 6 a.m. flight for a business trip, we’ll be more likely to smile because this new scenery is a gift. Maybe we’ll explore outside of our resort when we wouldn’t have before. Or choose to pay for a curated tour because we know the guides have been hit financially like many of us. Perhaps we’ll do more to support small and local businesses, even if trying new things is not typically in our comfort zone. The world has experienced something together, which creates a new bond.

Practical optimism

The Global Wellness Summit quoted a luxury spa leader who said,

“In times of crisis, the world needs practical optimists. Practical optimists don’t ignore a difficult reality – they accept it – and then immediately start working towards the better future they want to create.”

This perspective stuck with me and is a fantastic strategy for self-care.

One of my intentions during this time is to not succumb to fear. Sorry fear. You are not invited into my home, life, or future. I trust the experts to figure out the medical safety precautions and am giving them time to do that. I’ll do my part at home or out with my glamorous mask. In the meantime, practical optimism is what I want to spread more of. Stay inspired!