Staying sane in a crazy world!

5 things that helped me manage anxiety and some hard truths.

Sanity — Oxford dictionary defines the word ‘sane’ as “having a normal healthy mind; not mentally ill” and “sensible and reasonable”.

With the word ‘crazy’ defined as “not sensible; stupid”.

Ok, now that we have the definitions clarified… would you say the world is crazy? That’s a matter of personal opinion, but you can’t deny that day after day we are bombarded with heaps of information from all over the world and brands trying to get our attention 24/7; at our laptops, phones and tablets. I’m not saying technology is our enemy, I love technology, but as with anything there must be limits and one must indulge sensibly. You really don’t need to know the life of every one of 7 billion people in the world, selfish? Maybe. For your own sanity, it’s worth it.

What happens when we get overwhelmed with information? We start losing our sanity, for some it could be anxiety, panic attacks and depression; while others my be constantly angry at the world and everyone around them.

It has happened to me, my mum and other people around me — watching every news broadcast, mindless scrolling through social media whenever your attention isn’t occupied and checking your phone first thing in the morning… it’s all a recipe for disaster. Since changing my mindset throughout this hellish year, I am keen to impact others around me and here’s my basic principle for processing information and world events:

“Accept what you can’t change, change what you can’t accept. ” — Unknown

Or as I like to think about it, if you’re not going to do something about it, don’t get yourself all worked up.

We may care about every issue in the world but realistically we’re not going to solve them all… if any. So here’s what we can do, we can change the way we perceive them and most importantly, stay mindful of things happening in our immediate environment and communities. Relationships with our families, friends and colleagues, calling them for a 10 minute chat, fixing the leak under the sink, cooking that tasty dinner, spending those 5 minutes meditating or reflecting on the day, helping the older couple down the road with their shopping, investing your time or skills to help less fortunate around you, the list goes on…

Here’s my personal 5 top tips to stay sane with what 2020 has thrown at us:

1. Create a morning routine that doesn’t include checking your digital devices — mine is wake up, snooze for 5-10-15mins (can’t help it), get up, shower, make-up/hair, make a tea and write to reflect on yesterday; then join the 9am daily work call and spread positivity like there’s no tomorrow;
2. Go out for a walk — whether you are swamped with work (promise you, it will still be there 30mins later) or bored to death, exercise your mind and body;
3. Read more books — something that interests you, not what you think you should read; if you don’t know what it is, here’s your chance to find out;
4. Stop over indulging social media — it’s not healthy (and will drive you crazy) but you won’t truly understand until you reduce it;
5. Eat better — that doesn’t mean less ‘bad stuff’, eat enough calories/macronutrients of the ‘right stuff’ and you won’t even crave the rest!

It hasn’t been an easy year for the most of us, covid-19 or not, but we’ve got this! Make sure to take care of yourself and those around you.

Stay safe and healthy all!