Have you and your team fallen into this trap too?

This week, mindset coach Clare Desira shares two common thought loops you and your team might not realise you’re stuck in during these unusual times. 

I felt sorry for the reporter who in the midst of the corona news accidentally threw in an old update. 

The corona chaos had caught him out in a public way. 

The other news stations would have a field day and he’d probably become a meme for this mistake. 

The breaking news… Tom Hanks has COVID-19. I’d heard it five days before. 

And then I realised. I should be the meme. 

It was fresh news from that day.

I’d fallen into the news treadmill and felt like I’d read a week’s news in an afternoon. 

Which for me looked like this:

If I don’t know what’s going on in the world how can I possibly feel prepared, ready or safe?

It’s a bit like a sugar rush:

• Excessive consumption of chocolate. 
• Momentary feeling of joy.
• Feel briefly satisfied.
• Sugar rush dies down.
• Get on the hunt for more chocolate.

When we learn ways to think differently, we can interrupt our unhelpful cycles and more clearly understand what we need. 

Among the rapidly unfolding corona news updates, I needed to take a breath and buy some time to ask myself:

• What is the feeling I’m looking for? 
• What do I need?
• And how can I get it in other ways?

I wanted to feel strong. Like I could handle what happened next and could support others around me that were trying their hardest but still in the sugar rush.

Feeling stronger within myself was never going to be fuelled by celebrity news or more Tim Tams.

It was going to be fuelled by taking action within my control:

• My habits (writing a Top Five list of small wins each day).
• My self-care (I never regret exercise).
• My ability to think beyond myself and check in on other people.
• Helpful, encouraging and productive thoughts.

When you’re in a spin or trying to navigate change (welcome to adult life!), it’s so easy to diss the basics. Even when they’re proven and tested, and we know they are good for us, they can feel boring.

Watch out for those thought cycles and don’t forget to ask yourself what you truly need.

I’m pretty sure you already know what you need and I’m absolutely sure it’s not another Tom Hanks update.

Clare Desira heads up the Top Five Movement, a resilience and mindset training organisation, which draws on neuroscience to support changemakers and leaders in generous careers to have a bigger impact. 

This video is part of a series exploring how the brain works and tools to tackle common mindset blockers during career change.

For more resources and information head over to www.topfivemovement.com