The unexpected impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) is a serious setback for all of us. Unfortunately, some people will not be able to make adjustments to keep their wheels in motion while others will remain unstoppable in pursuit of their goals and accomplishments. The truth is your mindset is ultimately what will make the difference in your ability to effectively deal with this current situation. There is a lot of negative information coming at you and unusual lifestyle changes taking place every day. It’s important that you manage your thoughts during this period of uncertainty and change. Managing your thoughts through these tough times will enable you not to be overcome no matter what happens. If you or know someone who is having a rough time making the adjustment to the world, we now find ourselves living in, here are 3 suggested ways to manage your mindset:

Start Off Your Day From A Position of Strength

Your day’s effectiveness is normally determined in the first few morning hours. If you start checking the Facebook newsfeed and emails when you get out of bed for an update on COVID-19, you will start to drift down the slippery slope of negative thinking. You cannot allow this situation to dominate your thoughts from morning until night. Begin your morning with an activity that will give you a positive mental focus. Tune out all the negativity in the world. Start with a brainstorming session of positive self-talk or listen to inspirational music to help uplift your thoughts. You might want to reserve the first two hours for prayer, meditation, and exercise to establish your thought process for the day.

Control What Goes In Your Head

Are you filling your mind with positive information or reading emails and listening to the rehash of COVID-19 news stories repeatedly? Stop immediately if you are doing the latter. You have no idea of the negative impact the constant intake of this information has on your sense of reality. No, the world is not coming to an end. Back away from it and your anxiety and stress levels are bound to go down. Be disciplined about the things you allow to go through your mind. Although you cannot change your current situation, you can opt to be more vigilant about the sort of information you choose to consume. This is an excellent opportunity to expand your reading to enhance your personal growth and development. Check out our Mind Power Reading list at. Also, take advantage of the positive learning materials on youtube and other media resources. Also, use this time to focus on what you intend to accomplish when things return to normal.

Practice Gratitude

Yes, these are challenging times for all of us. Amid the storm, be encouraged to reflect on what you have to be grateful for. If you are not one the individuals laid up in the hospital fighting for life, there is much to be grateful for. If you have not lost a loved one, family, or friend, you should have no complaints. Think about how fortunate you are to spend this newfound time with your family and have a job to return to when this pandemic is over. If you lost your job, keep the faith that everything is going to work out. Be grateful for good health and a sound mind because there is nothing that you can’t accomplish. Most of all, be grateful for life. Remember, it is up to you to determine your reality going forward. Be grateful for this opportunity to repurpose your life.

I hope the above three strategies can change the way you respond to being housebound for weeks. Come to terms with the reality that life is not how you would like it to be, but it is what it is. How you respond to the shakeup of your normal daily routine, depends on your ability to manage your mindset.

Written by Dr. RL Kight for Mind Power Solutions. Visit www.mindpowersolutions.com to learn more about our personal development and training services.

We all experience setbacks and disappointments in life at one time or another. No matter how hard we try to avoid them - tragedy, hurt, and illness have a way of finding us. There are also times when our actions contribute to our own down fall. Other times, it’s like B. B. King use to sing about, “if I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all”. We feel that bad things just seem to follow us no matter where we go or what we do. These day to day challenges can prevent us from reaching our full potential if we allow ourselves to fall prey to a victim mentality.

What does it mean to have a victim mentality? From my understanding, it’s a sense of being powerless to change or overcome what has happened or is happening within our lives. It’s feeling trapped by past experiences that appear to keep holding us down. It’s as if we are stuck in a rut with no possibility of creating a new beginning for ourselves and blaming others for our situation.

A victim mentality can easily happen to the best of us including yours truly. I recall when I was dismissed from my place of employment for the first time in my life during the "Great Recession". This was a terrible blow to my morale and self confidence. I mentally went into a fog. Initially, I couldn't see my way to the next opportunity. How could this happen to me with a doctorate degree with years of experience. I had been a golden boy in which everything I touched tended to turn to gold. After months without being able to find suitable employment, I began to doubt myself and to question my qualifications.

In order to stop this down slope, I had to reach deep within to change my internal conversation. It wasn't a new one, but it was self talk that I had used throughout my life. I said to myself, "This is Robert Kight and there is nothing that I can't accomplish." My entire mindset and outlook about my situation began to change. I no longer viewed myself as being unemployed, but instead considered myself to be in a state of transition. My thoughts began to focus on possibilities to create new opportunities. My self-worth was not depended on the place of employment, but on my ability to make things happen. Before long I had found a new opportunity and I was back in the game

If you are reading this article and have a sense of feeling down and out or know someone who maybe going through a similar situation, I encourage you to change your internal conversation. Focus on what you can do and how you have handled situations before. Refuse to give to the current situation. As long as you are down and not out, you have the ability to pick yourself up and continue to compete. You are not a victim, but a winner with unlimited possibilities. Please share this blog with at least 10 other people that you think would benefit from this discussion.

Written by Dr. RL Kight for Mind Power Solutions at www.mindpowersolutions.com