Dealing with Uncertain Times

Dear Molly,

The last couple of weeks have been a real whirlwind and we don’t really know what will happen in the coming weeks or even months. This is something that is hard for all of us to wrap our heads around and, as people who are also far away from some of our loved ones, we are trying to figure out how to deal with it too. That is why, today on the blog and moving forward through these uncertain times, we want to share with you our moments of compassion, what we are doing to make the most of this experience, and how we are staying positive.

We also want to let you know that if you or a loved one is currently in Spain and is worried about what is going to happen next, we would love for you to reach out. We are offering a 20 minute call to anyone who needs a little bit of a virtual hug in these uncertain times. Just go to our coaching page here and put “Coronavirus” in the subject line and we will get back to you to schedule a chat.

So, what are we going through these days and how are we dealing with it? Here are three areas that Dani and Claudia are personally working through to make the most of our extra time at home.

 

Allow yourself emotional space

We are, always have been, and probably always will be big proponents of emotional space and allowing yourself to feel what you are feeling. Now, you might find that the compassion you need to have for yourself needs to be bigger than normal. Don’t feel like you are alone—we have also been talking about and working to accept that everything feels a little bit topsy turvy. That is why we are saying:

1. It’s alright to be confused. Right now you might feel totally positive one day and totally down the next. While we believe that this is normal and something you feel in everyday life, right now the polarity is probably stronger and the ups and downs more frequent. Being in a position of uncertainty, watching the world go by without any true control of anything (except staying at home as much as possible—please stay home), is truly confusing.

Pro-tip: Try a meditation app to find your inner balance. We like Headspace, Insight Timer, and Black Lotus.

 

2. It’s alright to cry. There are so many ways to release your emotional energy and while screaming might be what you want to do, crying is less likely to scare the neighbors. This form of letting your emotional frustration, your fears, your anxieties, etc. out into the world might not solve anything. However, it will give you a way of expressing what you are feeling without words (because we doubt you have the perfect words to describe what you are feeling).

Pro-Tip: Can’t cry? Our top tip is to watch a sad movie and just allow yourself to empathize. We love The Vow, The Notebook, or Coco.

 

3. It’s alright to call someone you love. We get it. And while you might not want to share your fears with someone who is far away, talking with someone you love gives you the opportunity to smile and laugh with someone who cares about you. You might, even just for a moment, take advantage of the fact that at a distance everything is still the same despite everything being so different. Talking with your loved ones also gives you a moment to talk about your shared fears and may even calm some of the worries you have about them.

Pro-tip: Check out this post with out top tips for connecting with loved ones abroad.

 

Find positive stimulus

It is so easy to get caught up in the negative thoughts during times like these that we have been trying to not only give ourselves emotional space but also seek out positive things that are happening in the world. By searching for the positive, we are not negating what we are all going through but accepting what we cannot change and embracing the good that has come out of it all. While we understand that this will look different for everyone, we have found that these things can be beneficial for us. We are:

1. Reading good news. There is so much negative news lately and, to be fair, it is important to know what is going on in the world. However, we also have the choice to consume every post about people hoarding toilet paper or we can choose to focus on positive things. All around the world communities are coming together in ways we seem to have forgotten about in recent years. By focusing on the good news, we can also see ways that each of us, as individuals, can act to support those around us.

Pro-tip: Check out websites that put a positive spin on the news such as Good News Network and Positive News.

 

2. Finding extra ways to move. It is no secret that both Dani and Claudia are fans of the Yoga with Adriene community—they have just published this playlist for uncertain times—but now more than ever we are feeling the need for a little extra movement in everyday life. Whether this means an extra yoga session in the evening (we are routine morning yoga people) or just having a good run around the apartment for laughs, we have found that movement makes us feel good. This is also a great opportunity to take online classes or experiment with the exercise you do!

Pro-tip: Try Gym Virtual and get your workout in while practicing your Spanish.

 

3. Finding positive affirmations. Just google “positive affirmations” and you will get pages and pages of beautiful pictures with lovely quotes on them. Here the trick is finding what truly resonates with you and making it part of your everyday life. For some of us that means that we are thinking about the here and now; for others, the focus is on what will happen in the future. Find the affirmation you need in your life and make sure you see it once a day to help it become part of your thinking process.

Pro-tip: Check out our Pintrest board here for more positive affirmations and create your own so it better fits your life.

 

4. Looking at pictures of cute animals. When in doubt, pictures of puppies, kittens, and other cute animals is always a way to bring a smile to our faces. It is like a positive affirmation in picture form! From YouTube to Instagram, there are so many accounts these days that share the positive energy of cute animals, you won’t know where to start or how to stop. Set your alarm for 5 or 10 minutes when you are feeling particularly sensitive and just let yourself enjoy!

Pro-tip: We love Champ Golden Pup’s and we rate dogs’s Instagram pages for lots of puppies!

 

5. Making good food and having a nice glass of wine. Just because we are staying at home doesn’t mean that we are not enjoying the life we are living. In fact, on a regular basis, we tend to eat at home more than go out, but going out always feels a bit special. These days we are making an extra effort to try and bring a little bit of that magic to the moments we spend at home as well.

Pro-tip: We’ve been collecting Spanish recipes we want to try. Check them out here.

 

Learn something new

While we fully believe that everyone should be taking time to slow down and dedicate time to things they need, we also feel like learning new things is quite important. That is because, at a time like this, we often have to keep our minds moving forward or risk feeling quite stagnant. That is why we are trying to add a little bit of extra learning into our everyday lives (right alongside our favorite silly tv shows and novels). We are:

1. Listening to podcasts. In fact, we are always using this amazing medium to learn something new. Now, we just have to find other creative ways to incorporate our learning into our everyday lives. Some of the ways we are listening to podcasts these days are when we are cooking delicious meals, making sure we get some exercise in, or when we are doing other creative tasks (Claudia loves to listen to podcasts and draw or color).

Pro-tip: Check out the Hidden Brain and Radio Lab for podcast learning. We also find the Intentional life podcast brings us great value.

 

2. Looking into online classes. There are so many great online classes that you can do for free or a very reasonable price. Now is a great opportunity for you to take a course on something you have always wanted to learn or get out of your box a bit. We have used platforms such as Coursera for everything from brushing up on our language skills to learning something totally new. We are currently thinking of taking the course “The Science of Well-Being” to learn even more about this subject that we love (in case you couldn’t tell).

Pro-Tip: Look for language classes to improve your language skills. We like italki for online Spanish classes.

 

3. Checking out the best Ted Talks. Platforms such as Ted Talks are amazing for listening to inspiring people and getting a little bit of insight into all the wonderful things you never knew were happening. If you find yourself with a short period of time on your hands, we can happily recommend checking out the most popular Ted Talks—each running between 12 and 20 minutes. Who knows, you might find yourself inspired to research a new idea or start a project yourself.

Pro-tip: You can find the 25 Most Popular Ted Talks of all time here.

 

4. Watching documentaries. Whatever your streaming platform of choice (or even if you are just watching tv), there are many opportunities to watch documentaries about everything. Whether you are interested in history or the food we eat or the way clothes are produced, there is a documentary for you. We especially like this platform for discovering new things to watch.

Pro-tip: If you don’t know what to watch, we highly the Planet Earth series with David Attenborough.

 

5. Doing DIY projects. Finally, now that we have more time at home, we can not only clean our dusty baseboards but we can do the projects we always meant to do. Via sites like Pinterest, we constantly find ourselves inspired to work on new things but very rarely do we carry these projects through. It is moments like these, when we have more time to sit and reflect on what is going on around us, that we are able to start and finish projects that we are excited about.

Pro-tip: If you are looking for something to do, check out pintrest boards such as this one with DIY for your home.

 

We hope that what we are doing to have patience with ourselves while still being positive might inspire you as well. And, as this is a community, we are wondering what about you? What are you doing to keep your spirits high during the Coronavirus time?

Sincerely,
Spain