Mindset Series Week 1: Name Your Challenge #WellnessWednesday

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By Mary Crayston

“Change can be tough, but I’ve never heard anybody say it wasn’t worth it.” – Carol Dweck

Intro:
Change can feel hard. It can be a problem for some of us. Sure, some people thrive and get energized. For many of us it can be worrisome and tiring. We can get overwhelmed and destabilized. Our work is not to try and make those feelings go away. We have to acknowledge and understand what we are going through and how we are currently reacting to it. From there we can figure out how to optimally orient ourselves to the problem. This approach is a growth mindset approach.

Starting today (and for the next three weeks), I will be covering the four steps on how to navigate change with a growth mindset.

Step 1: Naming – Acknowledge/name the circumstance (perceived problem/change)
You literally can’t take action on an issue/problematic circumstance if you don’t recognize you are in one. Too often we don’t take a beat to realize where our stressful feelings are coming from.

Once you recognize you are in one, however, you can then decide what to do about it.

For example:
Let’s say your company is going through a reorganization and you’re stressed. If you don’t recognize that going through a reorganization is stressing you, you’ll stay stressed.

Ask yourself:

  • What is happening (circumstance)?
  • What is the thing that is causing my stress/anxiety/worry?

Sometimes acknowledging an issue is enough to put an action plan in place, or at the very least it can allow us to be more mindful about our associated thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

Pro tip:
Wondering what exactly a growth mindset is? Here are a few resources: