By Guest Contributors Penny Mallinson and Sue Coyne
It’s wonderful that there’s so much support for people during this difficult time.
What we’d like to offer you is not only a chance to maintain your connection and wellbeing during this period of isolation, but to help you start a new powerful practice that you can use for the future, taking this rare opportunity of forced change to make a really positive difference to your life.
How do you stay open, present and connected with the vast changes to both your personal life and work that isolation has brought? Such sudden change can send a shock wave through our core and bring up our fears, leaving us feeling powerless, off balance and out of sorts.
Tips on how to stay positive whilst in isolation
1. The Connection Practice
People who have jobs that require them to be in isolation for long periods such as astronauts and submarine mariners say that their number one tip is to have set routines. Due to its neuroplasticity, our brain is amazingly adaptable, its capacity to continue to grow and rewire itself enables us to learn and change continuously.
We encourage you to find a time at the beginning of each day and make the Connection Practice part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth, showering, eating or having a cup of tea. If you’d like to read more about the Connection Practice, see this blog post.
2. Make a List
There are many things that can trigger disconnection, which aspects of your life are you getting thrown off balance most at this time? Make a list of them …so that you can start to catch yourself before you go into the stress response. We know that there is a 3-6 second gap between having the thought or feeling and going into stress. The secret is to catch yourself and change your habits which in turn rewires your brain.
3. Addressing limiting beliefs
Many people are finding that isolation brings up their limiting beliefs. Our beliefs influence our feelings which influence our behaviours. Most of our beliefs were in place by the time we were 7 years old and no-one teaches us that we need to upgrade them just as we upgrade the software on our computer. So many of us have limiting beliefs which hold us back. On this link we share with you how to upgrade your software so that it supports you as an adult, especially important during these challenging times.
4. Tackling your fear centre
In the centre of our brain we have a fear centre. Its job is to spot when we are in danger and put us into stress response so that we are ready to run away from the danger or fight it. It is possible to interrupt this automatic response and give yourself the space to choose how to respond and change how you feel. We have created a process for doing this which is available on this link.
5. Recognise contagious emotions
Have you ever walked into a room when there has been an argument and noticed a heavy negative energy in the room? That is because negative emotions such as shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, anger vibrate at a low frequency, they are heavy and bring us down. Ultimately they can affect our immune system and make us prone to illness. Not what we want at this time! It is possible to shift your energy or vibrational frequency to a more positive one just by thinking about what you are grateful for. Gratitude is one of the highest vibrating emotions. So each night when you get into bed or each morning when you wake up write down three things that you are grateful for. Just feeling that gratitude will shift your vibrational frequency to a more positive one so that you not only feel much better but also have a positive impact on others around you. Yes, your emotions are contagious!
6. Become your own best friend
At a time when we are in isolation we may not have the access we normally would to friends and family. This is a good time to become your own best friend. Every morning imagine that you have made a new friend. Feel the love and support of your new friend. Now become that friend. Act toward yourself the way that friend would act toward you.
7. Namaste
During the crisis we are unable to shake hands or hug other people. One of the most beautiful ways we can greet them instead is with a namaste. You may have seen Prince Charles doing this and other people too. You can do this to someone else or to your own reflection in the mirror. Come into eye contact and let your arms hang loose by your side. Raise our hands and press them together in a prayer position in front of your chest. Your wrists should be centred on your ribcage and not below. Point your fingers upward and hold them together rather than spreading them apart. Your thumbs should be pressed firmly against your body, so there is no gap between your chest and your hands. Bow slightly with a straight back and bend forward keeping your eyes open. Pause for a second. Then still holding your hands in place move back upright. Say ‘namaste’ keeping eye contact with the other person. Namaste is said in a calm and peaceful voice. It is like a blessing or recognizing the divine in the person you are greeting.
8. Letting go of judgements
If we are isolated on our own or with other people, there is an opportunity to deepen our relationships by letting go of the judgments we have about ourselves or them and going beyond the stories. When we take the time to communicate from a more present, aware, connected state we are able to demonstrate greater empathy, compassion and intimacy – appreciating our individuality and uniqueness rather than criticising and seeing difference.
9. Look after your body
Look after your body; get outside in sunlight, move your body; nourish and fuel it with good food. Give yourself treats; something you love to eat or drink, a bath with oils, a film, programme or book, FaceTime with friends and family, sitting doing nothing!
10. The importance of fun
Plan in some fun and play time; laughter and joy is one of the most healing high vibe energies.
ABOUT PENNY MALLINSON AND SUE COYNE
(LEFT) Sue Coyne is a successful transformational leadership and team coach, and the author of the bestselling Stop Doing, Start Leading. She has also contributed to Enabling Genius by Myles Downey, Leadership Team Coaching in Practice by Peter Hawkins, and Becoming a Transpersonal Leader by John Knights et al.
(RIGHT) Penny Mallinson is a mentor, a visionary coach and an experienced facilitator in the personal development arena. Penny focused her MBA on organisational psychology and later on human psychology through Psychosynthesis.
Website: http://thezoneofconnection.com/
Learn more…
The Zone of Connection
The Zone of Connection offers a simple but powerful practice to transform your life just 5 minutes a day, going beyond mindfulness, showing you how to shift from being on autopilot to one of full connection and experiencing flow in all areas of your life. With simple but powerful techniques, stemming from research into neuro and quantum science, you can experience internal transformation and become your own master.
This book demonstrates how to shift out of this default operating system to one of full connection and by doing so living to our full potential. It is this zone that the great masters and ancient wisdom traditions point to – a beautiful, powerful state that is now available to everyone. The authors provide a new simple approach that is easy to apply, and through this practice, anyone can be fully present, feeling happiness and love and be at their very best every day.
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