Adopt an Abundance Mindset to Combat Quarantine Blues
The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and the global lockdown intended to combat it has had a huge impact on our moods. Many of us are in quarantine now; whether self or government-imposed, essentially bringing life as we know it to a grinding halt. In addition to the emotional stress and mental strain that any kind of isolation brings, there are also very real issues such as obtaining food and medicine safely, unemployment, and loss of business. Compounded with worry over loved ones and the difficulty of uncertainty, there is a lot affecting us at the moment.
Given the circumstances, it is very normal for anyone to experience feelings of anxiety, anger, frustration, and helplessness. However, as these feelings overwhelm us or interfere with our day-to-day functioning, it becomes vital to take the time to reset our brain. One of the more effective techniques is known as the abundance mindset, a time-tested concept that has been shown to increase resilience and positivity in people who actively engage in it.
What is the Abundance Mindset?
The concept was first introduced by Stephen Covey in his bestselling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Having an abundance mindset is based on the simple belief that the world has everything we need and there is enough for everybody to share. Applied to the individual, it means shifting one’s focus from “things I don’t have” to “things I do have”.
The opposite of the abundance mindset is the scarcity mindset, which is the belief that there are not enough resources in the world and we have no choice in changing that state of things. People with a scarcity mindset tend to feel like victims of their circumstances and feel jealous or competitive regarding their peers. It limits people’s ability to innovate, reduces their desire to take risks, and forces them to act opportunistically.
The unusual circumstances triggered by this global pandemic has resulted in a spike of the scarcity mindset. We can see this mentality in hoarding food, medications, or emergency supplies. However, we can get through these tough times with innovation, positivity, and compassion by choosing to stop seeing the world in scarcity and embrace the abundance these tough times offer.
Organize Our Space
In reality, we probably have a lot more resources at our disposal than we realize. But if they’re in disarray, it can be easy to overlook them and feel under-prepared. We can use the extra time in self-isolation to thoroughly organize our home and workspaces. Begin by creating designated spaces for items in our home, sorting and organizing as we put them away. File and organize work papers, create laptop folders with proper labeling. As we work through our home, we get a visual representation of what we do have, while having our things organized allows us to plan accordingly. We also get the added benefit of a calmer brain, as the brain loves having our environment neat and orderly.
Think Like A Beginner
Once we’ve established a set way of doing things, it’s difficult and rare that we deviate from that pattern. And when we believe we know how certain things function, we tend to believe that’s the only way to go about them. But part of developing an abundance mindset is letting go of the idea that we know everything. When we’re first learning how to do something, we tend to have a more open mindset. We don’t assume we know the answer or the steps and are far more willing to improvise. This unconventional approach allows us to be creative.
If we can’t find the ingredients for a recipe we’ve always made in a certain way, we can embrace the obstacle as an opportunity for a culinary adventure. We can research alternatives, or experiment with different ingredients, or add a quirky twist to it. By involving family in the process, we can make cooking more than a utilitarian experience. It can be fun, and we’ll end up learning new ways of doing the same thing. This turns our thinking away from what we don’t have, transforming it into a fun challenge for the entire household.
Allow Mistakes
When we live in a scarcity mindset, we tend to look at everything as a competition and this leads to an obsession with perfection. When we believe there are not enough resources, our mentality becomes black and white. Mistakes become unacceptable because everything we do is either going to propel us forward or sink us back. Making a mistake is tantamount to losing the race for survival. Beyond the stress of living in this heightened perpetual state, this mentality blocks innovation.
Innovation stems from mistakes. In fact, many of the discoveries made throughout human history have been stumbled upon by complete accident. When we switch to an abundance mindset, we allow ourselves to make mistakes. And by allowing mistakes, we automatically open ourselves up to risk. This may seem scary, but innovation comes from risk. Maybe we discover an entirely new way of doing a task or project that we never would have allowed otherwise. By permitting ourselves to make mistakes, we actually set ourselves up for success.
Ask For Help
Knowing when to ask for help is half the battle won. Too often we struggle in silence because we are too proud to ask for help., That becomes a problem in many situations, but especially when our lives are changing so drastically every day.
In a scarcity mindset, we think of others as competitors and tend to guard our ideas and possessions. When we adopt an abundance mindset, we look at others as peers. It then becomes much easier to share ideas and receive ideas in return––a situation that is beneficial for everybody concerned. We also stop looking at asking for help as a weakness and understand that we can combine strengths when we open ourselves up to our communities.
Make it a deliberate practice to ask for help. Practice with small obstacles, even getting into the habit of using Google to find answers. And realize that while asking for help is important, offering help is just as valuable. Not only will we find ourselves learning something new every day, but we’ll also connect with more people leading to generally feeling more at peace.
Keep A Gratitude Journal
Gratitude is essential in practicing an abundance mindset. When we practice being grateful for all we have, we don’t allow ourselves to fixate or feel self-pity for what we don’t have. A great way to do this is to keep a gratitude journal. Just pick up a pen and paper at the end of each day, pick a set number of items to list, and write them down.
This forces us to think deeply about the positive things in our life, and just as we experienced with organization, we’ll end up surprised with how many items we’re able to list. Practicing gratitude daily will gradually shift our focus away from negativity and sharpen our awareness of the abundance of positivity surrounding us.
Limit Negative Exposure
Living in a connected world can be both a blessing and a curse. Technology makes staying in touch easier than ever, but hopping on social media or browsing the internet can bombard us with negative triggers. Scrolling through other people’s highlight reel can make us feel insecure or worse, that our lives don’t measure up. And while free sites make information accessible, they come chock full of advertisements. Being cooped up in the house all day long can make us daydream about these beautiful products. Prolonged exposure to these things can create feelings of unfulfillment, triggering our descent into a scarcity mentality.
While ads are impossible to avoid, we can be aware of them and limit our click-through time. Practice being mindful about social media scrolling, paying attention to when we either drift to advertisement led websites or are obsessing over a particular feed. When we stop searching for information or find ourselves feeling weighed down by what we’re looking at, it’s important to immediately and deliberately close the website. This will help teach our brain to stop attaching importance to them.
Conclusion
A global pandemic is a tough time to traverse. However, by focusing on the positivity in our home and our lives, we can reduce stress. When we focus on what we have, we are more likely to experience higher levels of happiness and satisfaction, ensuring we emerge from these difficult times healthier in mind and body. Practicing an abundance mindset will help us do exactly that.
