The 1 Mindset Shift To Consider When You're Super Anxious and Annoyed
You're probably already doing this
George Mumford, the sports psychologist and mental toughness coach for Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Phil Jackson, has a cool metaphor about mindset during anxious moments. Those days when nothing is going right, when you feel disconnected from yourself, and when the people in your life turn on you or start acting mean.
He teaches: “Respond from the eye of the hurricane, rather from the chaos of the storm.”
The surface winds of hurricanes are chaotic, almost hellish, but the winds are strong enough to deflect away from the center, leaving a calm eye in the storm. If you were to stand on that spot, it would be as if the storm didn’t exist at all.
It’s nearly impossible to make competent decisions, spark creativity, or see opportunities when swept up in the chaos of a storm. The eye of the hurricane is your place of peace, strength, and clarity. A place where you can see the big picture and take care of yourself and others.
I don’t know how to get there on demand, but I’m working on it. Best guess, it’s the little things — most of these things you’re probably already doing.
Like taking a day off from work to recharge instead of burning out and stressing everyone else out in the process.
Like playing deaf when you’re attacked or vilified by people either to your face or behind your back. Realizing you don’t have to fight battles everywhere all at once.
Like taking a walk to reflect and realize you have a choice — you always have a choice, no matter how hopeless a situation feels.
Others dictate your life in the chaos of the storm where decisions are reactionary.
In the eye of the hurricane, where decisions are proactive, you become the master of your fate.