Well, hello friends. I hope you had an AMAZING week. 

Mine was SUPER productive. And I LOVE it when that happens.

And I’m not just talking about being productive in my business or work. I was. 

But even better, I got a TON of stuff done around the house. You know, the kind of stuff that lingers. Things like going through boxes or closets and drawers. And deciding what to keep, toss or donate.

It always makes me feel amazing.

What’s interesting though is WHY I had that amazing burst of activity this week. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today, which is Control in Chaos. 

So, let’s dive in.

That burst of productivity that I experienced this week is a bit unusual. Well, THAT type of productivity anyway. Cleaning closets and organizing things isn’t really my favorite past time. 

But what’s interesting is what inspired that particular burst of productivity.

Basically, you can blame cable news and 2021.

Let me explain.

I’ve been a news junkie for like the past 20 years. I’ve always loved having it on in the background. I have my favorite news anchors and all of that. 

I just liked staying up on things and I liked hearing different angles and opinions on the stories of the day.

But for me, that’s changed. 

Granted there are a lot of reasons for that, most of which I won’t go into on this podcast because there’s not time for it all. 

But the main thing for me is the unrelenting news on the pandemic.

I’ve noticed that when I watch the news, my anxiety increases. I start to feel helpless and hopeless. And I go from being able to deal with the isolation and the uncertainty that this virus has brought into all of our lives, to barely hanging on. 

Why? 

Some folks would say, “well, it’s because of the circumstances. There’s a pandemic going on.”

Others might say, “the news is just toxic and always negative.”

And I get that these explanations FEEL true. 

But they’re NOT true.

The truth is that what was causing me to feel helpless and hopeless is the thoughts I’m having about the coverage. Not the actual coverage itself.

So now, when I leave the news on too long, I start thinking: “Will my family be okay?” or “When will this virus EVER end?” and “What happens now that there are more contagious strains appearing? Will the vaccine work?”

When I’m thinking those thoughts, they cause me to feel “anxiety”, “uncertainty” and “sadness.”

And when I’m feeling anxious, uncertain, or sad, what do I do? Nothing productive. That’s for sure.

They make me want to numb out by binge watching Netflix or Hulu. Or having a brownie. Or a glass of wine.

Can you relate? 

Let’s dive in and explore how to help you get control even during chaos.