Does Anyone Else Miss COVID Lockdown? | Life Seemed More Simple Then
Please understand that I tend to forget the chaos that was early-COVID lockdown empty shelves of toilet paper and the inability to buy paper towels. Or the uncertainty and expectation that when lockdown was over we would be free of COVID.
I’m simply remembering that there wasn’t much to do but hang out at home, get groceries delivered, learn to cook and work away in my home office. In my memory, I felt safe from decision making because there weren’t any decisions to make then. It seems like a more simple time than today.
Making A Lot of Decisions Hurts Our Brains
No. Really. It literally hurts our brains. My favorite marketing guru, Donald Miller, teaches that if your marketing message confuses your customer, you lose them because the brain prefers not to have to work too hard to figure things out. Expending energy (calories) is exhausting.
Do You Feel Exhausted In These Post-Lockdown Days?
I wish the calories my brain was expending had the same result as a good workout!
Right now, days seem overwhelmingly full of decisions to make: Is it safe to be with people? Am I supposed to wear a mask? Can I infect someone unknowingly who is vulnerable like the elderly or children if I have COVID? Am I with people who are not vaccinated? Why aren’t they vaccinated? Is it really possible that we now believe in two separate sciences and two sets of facts? How is this even possible?
Protect Your Brain
Take care of yourself and determine how you can protect yourself from too much “hurting brain.” Try a few (or all) of these techniques to help reduce the overwhelm and feel unstuck from needless exhaustion:
- Limit the amount of news you ingest. It’s ok to listen to a good book and music that fills you up rather than the news which can be exhausting.
- Imagine you are in a room with only one way in and no way out. Only let people into that room who lift you up.
- Make certain that you take time for a self-care routine, including habits like expressing gratitude, engaging with meditation, going for a massage, or taking a hot bath.
- Prioritize your to-do list and really focus on what matters most in your personal and professional life. Sometimes, the more stressed you feel, the more you feel compelled to expand your to-do list. That just creates more stress and brain fatigue.
- Be as kind to yourself as you are to your friends. Sometimes it seems like we hold ourselves to a higher, harder standard than we hold others. That’s just not right.
Being stuck with “hurting brain” can make it pretty difficult to get started on any new to-do list item, let alone getting started with changes to your routine that will make a huge difference in the long run. If you’re feeling exhausted at the thought of getting started in this post-COVID lockdown world, sign up for a free 30-minute sample coaching session, and we can work together to bring a little more simplicity into your life. It’s time to get UNSTUCK!
Barb Mason, Coach
I am a coach and jewelry designer. At UNSTUCK Coaching, I help middle-agers make changes toward the most fulfilling employment experience. As my own first coaching client, I know what it takes to get UNSTUCK.
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