WELL MIND | Flip The Switch From Anxiety To Possibility

By Hannah Northcott

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I’m a drama teacher and this little trick I’m about to share with you can be a psychological tool that you can use to change your thoughts and feelings about your circumstances in COVID 19.

As my dad says, “You can’t always change your circumstances but you are in control of how you see and react to your situation.”

There is an improvisation game that we play in Drama class called “Magic If”. It gives a chance for us to be flexible in our thinking.

This is how it works.

I ask the students to sit in a circle. We pass an object around the circle. The task is to transform the object to become something else. A student will hold the object, like a drumstick for example. They will touch the object then physically demonstrate using it as something that they can imagine.

“What if it was a magic wand?” “What if it was a toothbrush?”

And so the drumstick becomes a microphone, earrings or a hair curler.

In this simple game we play with the phrase, “What if …” and we physically flip an object and transform it in our hands.

Try it. It’s fun. You can even get your kids to play it with you.

How can this drama game turn into a psychological tool that can help shift your perspective on your current circumstance.

This powerful phrase - “What if” -  can flip the switch in your brain from anxiety to possibility.  These two words can shape your thinking, emotions and produce results in your life.

Check-out this table and see how I flipped my thoughts around.

How can you make this work for you?

Get a piece of paper. Fold it in half. Just like the table above, write “Anxiety” on one side and “Possibility” on the other.

Start with the left column and list down all the anxious and fearful thoughts that you have.

You can even go further and include the question, “How does this thought make me feel? How does it manifest in my body? How does it affect my behavior?”

Next, flip the switch on your brain.

Beside each anxious thought, challenge yourself to ask a question that could make the thought work for you rather than against you.

For example:

A fearful thought would be: “What if my kids experience trauma from this?”

Flip the thought to possibility: “What if I teach my kids tools to thrive during this time such as independence? What are the things that we can do at home that will give them the opportunity to feel more empowered in the way they do things?”

What you focus on grows.

What if instead of picturing all the things that can go wrong, you envision all the things that can go right ? What if  there is something happening right now that is FOR YOU? What if you you actively shift your mental, emotional and physical energy to your favor?

If you want to go the next level and find an action plan and results for your thoughts then you can try the “CTFAR” method:

List down the following:

Circumstance Factual description of situation.	My two young children are quarantining with me and it’s difficult to teach e-learning and facilitate that experience for them, as well.
Thought What do you think about this?	How the heck am I supposed to do my job well when my kids are all over me?
Feeling/Emotion How does it make you feel?	I feel frustrated because it’s hard to do my work well and parent at the same time.
Action What can you do about it?	What if I create a block schedule when I work and during that time, I will give my kids freedom in their screen time so I can focus on what I’m doing. They can watch Netflix, do EPIC on their ipads or even play Minecraft. After I do my work, I will sit with them for an hour or two for focused e-learning time where they will need to do their school work. If they can do some of the tasks independently, I can also hop on my work but do it while sitting with them.
Results What result do you want?	Peace and sanity Sustainability

Now grab a piece of paper and try it. As I say in drama class, “Just do it!”

If these methods worked for you, please share it with as at our WELLWOMEN chat group.

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Hi! I’m Hannah. I’m a working mama of two girls. I teach Drama, write for WellWomen and devour chips dipped in mango salsa. I love clothing auditions, Orchard brunches and warm tropical beaches. We live in Shunyi; you can find me teaching at ISB, shopping with girlfriends at the Roundabout or hanging at one of our neighborhood cafes or restaurants. Interested to connect more, check-out my website: www.dramayogi.com