Restarting and Pivoting Makes Sense
As you go through life, you’ll encounter many precarious situations. Some of these situations can turn your world upside down and make you feel like things will never get better again. My hope is to share how restarting and pivoting can lead to your best life ever.
This has occurred in my own life many times. I lost my first husband to leukemia and was left with two young stepchildren; I survived Hurricane Andrew and lost all of my worldly possessions; I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer while still in my thirties; and I am now surviving a pandemic.
Some people get mentally paralyzed by these events. They panic or freeze, unable to figure out a solution on how they can get back to normal. Many families have experienced some common major life changes that force them to adapt to new circumstances.
Whether it’s trying to restart your life after an unusual life-changing pandemic, a job loss or change, a health ordeal or something else, you can discover how to begin anew and maybe even create a life better than you had before, if you’re willing to think strategically about it.
Beginning Again After Pandemic Life
Experiencing the changes the pandemic brought to the world caused many people to divide their life between a time of before and after. The way that they lived before the pandemic was vastly different to how they lived after it hit.
Before, these people were sure how their days would play out. They went to their jobs, they came home, and during their time off or recreational time, they went out and enjoyed entertainment venues and being with others.
Then, job security became an issue. Some of them lost what they once thought was a job that would last. The way that they lived with their schedules changed. Suddenly, that balance was upended, and the cycle was no longer one they’d planned out.
This new routine lasted for months or years, depending on where you lived, and people rose to the challenge and created a new schedule for themselves. However, the world is opening up again all over – and now you may be called back to the office, find yourself having opportunities again, and a fresh start can be unnerving.
I am beginning to travel again, something I love and was used to doing on a regular basis. Just like after 9-11, there are major shifts and changes that come with our new world of travel. Restarting and pivoting makes sense in this arena, now more than ever.
During this time of returning to normal, there must be changes made to their routine once again. It was stressful recreating life due to the pandemic and if you’re not careful, it can become stressful as you try to plan your life to begin anew, too.
Getting into new habits can become a challenge and you want to do everything you can to minimize the stress involved. It’s not just you that may have to deal with this stress. Your partner or spouse can experience it and so can your kids.
Even pets can pick up on the stress! To restart after living a pandemic lifestyle, you can implement some changes to make the transition easier on everyone involved. You can start by developing a schedule.
This way, everyone knows what’s going on at specific times of the day or days of the week. You can begin by talking to each family member to find out what they have going on and what projects may occur in the future.
Talk to them about how changes affected the family due to the pandemic and how you’re trying to get everyone back on a routine to help the house run smoother. Open communication can go a long way toward dispelling the effects of scheduling stressors because sometimes it can be caused when others don’t know what it is you’re trying to accomplish for the family.
Remember that your schedule doesn’t have to be set in stone. It’s okay to tweak it to make it work for everyone involved. Instead of sleeping in now, you may have to set an alarm and wake up a big earlier to get everyone ready for work and school, or a long commute.
You can minimize the time stress by doing things like packing lunches the night before or meal prepping family dinners once a week so you don’t have to come home after a long day and cook for everyone.
Restarting and Pivoting After a Health Issue
Regardless of whether a health issue is a short term or chronic one, it can upend your life balance. Most people don’t realize that when they get negative health news, they experience the stages of grief.
You’ve been thrust into a new normal with a diagnosis and there are some emotions that you’ll journey through. One of these is denial. You may not want to face what you’ve been told.
You might push it to the back of your mind and try to carry on as you usually did. It’s not uncommon to become angry about a health issue. You might feel that your body let you down.
You might seek to blame something or someone – even yourself. If the condition is one that’s going to be chronic, you might enter into a depression. You don’t want to face anything to do with your health problem.
Bargaining is part of having a health issue, too. At this point, you understand you’re having problems, but you’re not yet willing to concede that this is part of your story.
Finally, acceptance arrives.
At this point, you realize that things are what they are with your body and you begin to make peace with it as you find the strength to take the next step and do what needs to be done.
These emotions are all involved in restarting after a health issue. But the thing about dealing with something like this is it doesn’t just involve you. It also impacts your family. That’s why you need to bring the family onboard through discussion and input as you make decisions on what to do about your health.
There may be changes that affect them such as changing a job because you’re no longer able to do the one that you used to be able to work at. You may have to change your schedule to be able to work in doctor or treatment appointments and that can affect the lives of your family.
As I went through my cancer treatments and more surgeries, I came to see that restarting and pivoting would be a gift in my life. That led to explorations and a mindset shift that continues to change my life.
Important steps to take after a health issue include making sure that you manage the stress that can be part of a new normal. Not just your own, but the stress that arises when loved ones may struggle to deal with the problem.
You need to focus on eating in a way that benefits your body. There are some eating plans that are beneficial toward helping manage or heal certain health problems. Continue or start to exercise as a way to boost the feel good chemical in your brain and help to relieve stress.
Seek out support so that you have someone to turn to on the days when it might feel overwhelming to deal with that you have to do. Keep a positive mindset and look for things that make you feel good or bring you happiness.
There are some things you must go through, and you won’t have any choice in that matter, but you can choose how to restart. Sometimes, the changes might be learning how to live normally after a health issue is over.
They’re not always chronic or terminal. Sometimes it might be something a surgery or lifestyle change cures or alleviates. Take time to find a schedule and routine that you feel comfortable with – and give yourself a chance to get used to doing things you once did, but haven’t been able to participate in for so long.
Recovery After a Job Loss or Resignation
You may have been someone who quit their job at the beginning of the pandemic in what is now referred to as “The Great Resignation”. Quitting or losing a job is harder on more than just your financial outlook. It can throw off your routine, your security and make you feel adrift. It can also make you feel betrayed if your coworkers or work friends knew what was coming and didn’t give you a warning.
Some people link their self-esteem with the career they have – especially if it’s one they spent years working toward. So when they lose it, they lose their sense of self. Most people get angry, anxious or depressed when they lose a job. The thought of restarting and pivoting can bring about mixed feelings and emotions.
But there are ways that you can recover after a job loss. Begin by looking at your finances. Most people avoid doing this, but it’s actually more beneficial to know where you may need to tighten up in order to make it than to worry and wonder.
Even if you know that you don’t have enough money to pay your debts, you’re still better off knowing exact figures. See how long you think the money you have will allow you to make it and if you believe you’ll go under financially, set a plan in motion. This is where restarting and pivoting can bring about major growth in your life and lead to lifestyle design.
For example, if you know you can’t pay the rent in a couple of months, set up a place to go before it reaches that point. To recover from losing your job, create a work overview of yourself.
This means that you make a spreadsheet or write down what you’re capable of in the workforce and what you may lack that needs improvement. Having a master list of what you can do and the expertise that you have can be appealing to new employers.
If you’ve been out of the job search for awhile, it’s time to update your resume. If you’re not good at this, either search for examples of how to do it online, or get someone who is good at it to do it for you.
Tap into your network to see who might have some leads on jobs within your field. Level up on anything that you feel might hold you back. For example, if you haven’t updated your ability to work with certain computer programs and you see these requirements over and over again in job searches, then study it.
Even if all you pick up are the basics of how to do the program, you’re still a step ahead of where you were. Look for jobs within your field on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn.
Join social media groups that are specifically for job hunting. Sign up with a job recruiting service. Discuss with your family the possibility of having to move if there are no suitable jobs in your area.
Also talk to them about the possibility of changing schedules in order to find a job. For example, some companies may be looking for third shift workers. That might not be something that you’ve done in the past because of your family obligations.
Think of restarting and pivoting your life as more of an adventure and challenge than one that you fear. Move forward with grace and ease and everything else will fall into place naturally.
I’m bestselling Wall Street Journal and USA Today author, marketing strategist, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.
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