My apologies for missing the past few Thursdays! I wasn’t off relaxing at a spa or slacking off for the holidays, unfortunately I am helping my significant other, Walt, while he is on the road to recovery with multiple (five total) surgeries due to major complications with open heart surgery. Today is day 30 for him in the hospital and day 29 for me in a hotel across the street (it is a longer story of how we ended up here in Montana that I will tell another day). He is a fighter and an expert at thriving so thankfully he is on the road to recovery.
It is easy to say you are thriving when things are going well, but it is another challenge entirely to thrive when things are not going so well. So, I thought I’d share the top ten thriving tactics that have allowed me to thrive in the midst of this very personally challenging time:
- Focus on the moment, one hour at a time, one day at a time. Minimize thoughts that start going into planning or worrying about the future and come back to the moment.
- Shift from fear into gratitude. Consistently find the little things to be thankful for like a good strong cup of hot coffee. And keep focused on gratitude for getting a lot of practice in doing number one above!
- Regularly focus on the big things to be grateful for, like very competent and compassionate Doctors and Nurses.
- Keep an abundance mentality. I shift my frustration about paying for a hotel for weeks (almost a month now) to the appreciation for the abundance of my business that can be done remotely (love all of this wireless technology).
- Laugh. A lot. We have the book, “A Pretty Good Joke Book, Intro by Garrison Keller” that has been a great supply of jokes for telling to the hospital staff and keep us from crying.
- Netflix streaming. I love this service since it is available on my laptop and with a couple little speakers we have our own mobile entertainment system. It prevents the suffering of daytime TV.
- Chocolate covered raisins. This may not work for you, but for me these are my little treat that I give myself periodically. Know what your little treat is and then use it in moderation (or it no longer feels like a treat and your jeans become too tight).
- Walking and/or taking the stairs and breathing in fresh air or viewing nature. My schedule has not supported the higher level of exercise that I usually enjoy but sneaking it in by taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking in the farthest parking spot for a little more walking has helped. The picture is the nice view of birch trees we had from one of Walt’s hospital rooms.
- Know your needs and take care of them. One of mine that may sound frivolous is getting my hair done; I visited a local salon today and after a couple hours there I feel like a new woman.
- Last but not least, keep connected with friends and family who care about you. I have loved Facebook over these weeks; the outpouring of support with positive energy and prayers has been a key part of my thriving.
Practicing these tactics while things are going well has helped me keep them going while in the midst of this adversity. There is always room for thriving during even the most challenging of times; it is a choice.