Opportunities are still now. They are just different. We are shifting into a new type of society, at least for the time being. Often our anxieties and fears will hide our views of what opportunities still sit firmly in our hands. We are easily influenced when what we once thought was in our control no longer appears to be so. But the truth is in how so much of it never really was.
And that is okay.
We were not all created to control the overall economic system or medical epidemics or macro educational safety or interconnected systems. Some days I would say it felt like I had that control. When I was engulfed in my social world or person-to-person hear-says I may have felt more in control of that. But now, that has been swiped away.
So the question is, how do we find opportunities and optimism in this seemingly surreal world?
People, remember to grasp power you have in influencing what is in your control verses submitting to the burdens of what is not!
Working in a profession for people interaction–social work and education–I get this. I get the frustration for the kids. For the systems. For the families. For the needs. For the risks.
I get it. And, I hate it too. But, I am going to stop fuming in what I can’t change to see instead what I can. In this declaration to always find hope in hardships, I challenge you to do the same.
Here are some tips to get started.
Turn off the social media and news stories more than we turn them on.
Explore our talents or interests in ways we may have lost sight of in a busy world.
Re-connect with people we haven’t connected to recently (via cool social options).
Prepare for and talk about the educational setting with your kids in a way that will blossom their experience not limit it.
Go outside. A few times a day. Milk in the sunshine.
Acknowledge other’s struggles in a way that is supportive rather than complacent or chaotic.
Role model all the things we have been talking about in self-care.
Valuing the time with family we have been yearning for.
Pursue and share humor–daily.
Share positive stories of experiences we have had that were tough but succeeded through.
Challenge our minds to stay in the here and now.
Seek support as needed!
Amber Jewell is K-12 social worker that loves to encourage and inspire people to push through tough times. She is a believer of great things, greater opportunities, and the greatest in people.
Facebook@ amberjewellhope
Instagram and Twitter@ajewellspeaks