Shifting Perceptions
Perception – noun *the way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; A mental impression
Life in the days of Covid has caused all of us to adjust our perceptions. For me personally: it has caused me to adjust the way I view my life.
For years now, I would physically write out my month/week/and day goals in my calendar. My goals would consist of everything from travel and races, to work and monetary goals. Once Covid hit, my goals were thrown off course and I was forced to readjust due to quarantine, closures, and safety. I was no longer able to achieve the big goals for my month or even know what goals I could plan to set my hopes on. This led me, like most us, to feel frustrated, lost and depressed. I began to imagine my life like a frisbee: spinning out of control, gone roque, thrown off course into the backyard of rabid dog never to appear again. (I know this sounds a bit dramatic, but if you knew my frisbee skills you would understand why this analogy came to mind so quickly) ;)
I began to realize that I was measuring my life by my goals instead of my accomplishments. I was constantly pushing on to the next goal without pausing to reflect on all that I had accomplished, even in a single day.
The first month of the shut down I found myself changing what I wrote down from goals to accomplishments. It wasn’t that my goals went by the way-side. Instead it became more important to acknowledge what had actually occurred in the day, rather than what I had planned. My list included small things from dishes, and showering, to the list of people I communicated with and my climbing and running adventures. I began to record the small details of where and when. Planned and unplanned. How fast, how happy, and who I was with. It all ended up in my calendar.
At the end of each month, I look back at what I wrote. I feel a sense of appreciation for what I have been able to do and who I had been able to interact with, rather than what had not been able to occur. I began to appreciate my body and mind in a more complete way. It made me feel more grateful for the days of life found in each month and has moved me to actively create a more meaningful life, one day at a time.
It turns out this little forced Covid adjustment of mine has some serious scientific backing to it.
Rebecca Beris a writer for Lifehack explains, “The practice of recording our progress helps us appreciate our small wins, which, in turn, can boost our sense of confidence. This confidence can then be leveraged to help us become more competent and achieve future, larger successes and enhance our self-appreciation”.
This is more than a mental game for the times of Covid, but a new way to live. It changes our brain chemistry for the better and that is an incredibly powerful tool.
In a recent study Teresa Amabile, from the Harvard Business School, and Steven Kramer looked at nearly 12,000 diary entries from 238 employees in seven companies and found what she refers to as “The progress principle”. Teresa states that,” Any accomplishment, no matter how small, activates the reward circuitry for our brains. When this pathway is open some key chemicals are released that give us a feeling of achievement and pride. In particular, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released which energizes us and gives us a feel-good aura. This chemical enables us not only to get that sweet feeling of reward but also motivates us to take action and repeat what we did to trigger its release in the first place.” - Lifehack.com
More dopamine??? Yes please. Dopamine is commonly known as the happy hormone. It is responsible for our ability to experience happiness and joy.
By writing down our accomplishments no matter how little, even in trying times, (aka like the current situation of the world) we can find more happiness and satisfaction in our lives.
7 months into Covid, I still find myself writing down my daily accomplishments. My calendar is filled everyday with so much life. Life, people, and accomplishments I had previously not taken note of. It is profound to realize that any of our achieved goals are actually the sum of many small tedious tasks, that we must fulfill every day. Our goals would never come to fruition without these seemingly small deeds, and I have never been more aware of this than right now.
As I was writing this article, I found myself actually feeling a little gratitude for these tumultuous months and the chance to readjust my perception. So thank you, Covid, for the opportunity to find greater joy and quality in my life. I hope, if nothing else, that it will continue to act as momentum to expand into new accomplishments in my life and yours too.
Written by: Heidi Ransom
