{"id":64292,"date":"2020-04-02T11:53:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T11:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/?p=64292"},"modified":"2020-04-03T10:24:06","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T10:24:06","slug":"face-the-2020-challenges-and-act-learn-how-to-deal-with-uncontrollable-circumstances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/face-the-2020-challenges-and-act-learn-how-to-deal-with-uncontrollable-circumstances\/","title":{"rendered":"Face the 2020 challenges and act \u2013 Learn how to deal with uncontrollable circumstances"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>What&#8217;s it all about? <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>How are you dealing with your every-day life now when the circumstances have changed drastically? How are you feeling while watching the coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases and expecting new measures that will additionally narrow your <em>manoeuvring<\/em> space? Are you ready to work and live online? \u00a0If you&#8217;re looking for the answers to <strong><em>What&#8217;s exactly happening to me right now?<\/em><\/strong> and <strong><em>What can I do about it and how?<\/em><\/strong> you&#8217;ve come to the right place. Search below what traps we usually fall into and try out <strong>practical advice<\/strong> you&#8217;re going to find. Find out <strong>how to deal with uncontrollable circumstances<\/strong> and <strong>arm yourself with two powerful strategies \u2013 surrender <\/strong>and <strong>active coping<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Recognize the traps we fall into <\/strong><\/h3>\n<h4><strong>Trap number 1: I believe that strong self-control and control always help <\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Let&#8217;s be honest \u2013 we waste large amounts of time and energy on things we can neither change nor control. As far as others are concerned, although a certain level of influence and control may apply, in most cases we have very little control over how others think or how they react and behave. Even our own health is not entirely under our control \u2013 although we may eat healthy, exercise frequently and do everything else to be in perfect shape, there are many other factors that determine our health including genetic dispositions, involvement in accidents, etc.<\/p>\n<p>If we <strong>try too hard not to lose our self-control<\/strong> in uncontrollable circumstances that are out of the ordinary and <strong>control other people and situations <\/strong>when it&#8217;s not possible, we&#8217;ll end up <strong>frustrated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Scientific studies also confirm the dangers of trap 1 <\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-983\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"983\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"Face the 2020 challenges and act\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h4><strong>Trap number 2: I should better focus on and prepare myself for the worst<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Plagued by thoughts and images of disastrous outcomes that in reality may never come to be, we <strong>become trapped<\/strong> in an endless process of \u201efiguring it out\u201c, which will stop us from doing what we actually can do. Of course, it doesn&#8217;t mean we shouldn&#8217;t consider risks and dangers because we could end up in real trouble. We should and we will take them into consideration, but at the same time we should put our energy and effort into <strong>things within our power<\/strong>, instead of thinking about worst-case scenarios.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Trap number 3: I&#8217;d better not take any action at all. There&#8217;s nothing I could change. <\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>This way of thinking could be very dangerous because we deny our responsibility. The responsibility and control are given to an outside source and feelings of <strong>helplessness<\/strong> typically emerge. If we decide to remain passive, we usually waste our energy on complaints and self-pity instead of taking action.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What should we do instead?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Instead of trying to increase levels of self-control and control of uncontrollable circumstances <strong>start managing yourself strategically<\/strong>. This ability is called <strong>self-regulation<\/strong>. Knowing how to regulate oneself means to recognize when self-control and control are desirable and when one should loosen up.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Effective strategies for dealing with uncontrollable circumstances <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Now you&#8217;ll learn how to apply and combine two powerful strategies \u2013 <strong>surrender <\/strong>and <strong>active coping<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Strategy number 1 \u2013 Surrender<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The uncontrollability of events, before corona virus, has been experienced by most people in life&#8217;s most extreme moments: car accidents, the death of a loved one, being stricken with a life-threatening disease, etc. Other, less extreme examples in which uncontrollability is experienced include the inability to deliberately fall asleep, the inability to influence what other people think and the inability to stop thoughts from occurring. If we try to control these, the result will often be counterproductive \u2013 we stay awake longer, and it&#8217;s getting more difficult to get rid of the unwanted thoughts.\u00a0 In other words, <strong>the solution<\/strong> <strong>here is not to exert more control, but less<\/strong>. <strong>Surrender to the uncontrollable<\/strong> and <strong>accept that there&#8217;s simply nothing you can do<\/strong> to change the situation.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-64302 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"deal with uncontrollable circumstances\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-420x280.jpg 420w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-50x33.jpg 50w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/predaja-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Important to remember! <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Surrender as a strategy <\/strong>differs from being overtaken by negative thoughts or being controlled by others. Being overtaken occurs without choice; surrendering is an <strong>active<\/strong>, <strong>intentional process<\/strong>; we agree to surrender. Moreover, surrendering also differs from giving up and losing hope. Surrender means <strong>letting go of unproductive efforts to control the uncontrollable<\/strong> while at the same time <strong>focusing on dealing with what lies within the boundaries of personal influence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Strategy number 2 \u2013 Active coping<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>When there&#8217;s nothing you can do to change a given situation, this doesn&#8217;t mean that one can&#8217;t <strong>deal with the situation in an active way<\/strong>. Look for <a href=\"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/shop\/emergency-tool-kit-for-mind-and-body\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>self-help techniques for crisis situations<\/strong>, such as <strong>resilience<\/strong>, <strong>anti stress gymnastics<\/strong>, <strong>stress management strategies<\/strong>, <strong>self-motivation <\/strong>and <strong>positive thinking<\/strong>.<\/a> Luckily, you can <strong>find<\/strong> and <strong>master<\/strong> all these <strong>techniques online<\/strong> and by doing so you are doing exactly what the strategy number 2 suggests \u2013 you&#8217;re <strong>actively coping<\/strong> with the current situation.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Forces beyond your\u00a0<\/em><em>control can<\/em><em>\u00a0take away\u00a0<\/em><em>everything you<\/em><em>\u00a0possess except\u00a0<\/em><em>one<\/em><em>\u00a0thing, your freedom\u00a0<\/em><em>to<\/em><em>\u00a0choose how\u00a0<\/em><em>you will<\/em><em>\u00a0respond\u00a0<\/em><em>to<\/em><em>\u00a0the situation.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Viktor Frankl<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>Learn how to think positively<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Choose one of the stress management strategies&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-619\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"619\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"Stress | L4 | Hotspots\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>and exercise.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sit on the edge of your chair.<a href=\"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-64295\" src=\"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe-300x233.jpg\" alt=\"deal with uncontrollable circumstances\" width=\"350\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe-300x233.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe-768x597.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe-420x326.jpg 420w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe-50x39.jpg 50w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe-100x78.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe-600x466.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/vje\u017ebe.jpg 928w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Intertwine your fingers behind your back.<\/li>\n<li>Lean forward and raise your arms slowly so that you feel your back stretching.<\/li>\n<li>Slowly take a deep breath and feel your chest rising.<\/li>\n<li>Hold your breath for 10-15 seconds.<\/li>\n<li>Breathe out and relax your shoulders, so that they are in the lower position and at a distance from your ears.<\/li>\n<li>Slowly relax your arms by your side.<\/li>\n<li>Bring your body back to the initial position.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat the exercise 5 times.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All the techniques mentioned will help you change the nature of the current situation and modify how you think and feel about it. If you engage in active coping, you <strong>rely upon your own resources<\/strong> to deal with the situation, have <strong>more options<\/strong> and don&#8217;t waste your energy on things you can&#8217;t change.\u00a0 It means that you choose to <strong>deal with emotions and feelings that are present, <\/strong>rather than trying to control the uncontrollable.<\/p>\n<p>In social setting, coping actively means <strong>communicating about one&#8217;s feelings or emotions<\/strong>. Sharing them with others encourages empathy and builds quality relationships that we need more than ever.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The current situation reminds us that there are things beyond our control. This is the right moment to check how we manage such situation, to learn how to cope with them better and help ourselves and others. By applying the two powerful strategies &#8211; <strong>surrender<\/strong> and <strong>active coping <\/strong>and options they offer \u2013 you&#8217;ll be more successful at <strong>dealing with uncontrollable circumstances.<\/strong> Always bear in mind that regardless of our limited power of controlling things, there is always a <strong>choice how to deal with your emotions<\/strong> and <strong>the state <\/strong>of<strong> your body <\/strong>and<strong> mind<\/strong> that result from the uncontrollable circumstances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s it all about? How are you dealing with your &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2622,"featured_media":64304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-64292","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-public"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2622"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64292"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64729,"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64292\/revisions\/64729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lpc.halpet.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}