When FOMO becomes FOGO - Five Ways to Face the World Stronger than Before
A CONVERSATION WITH THE LEADING HYPNOTHERAPIST AND LIFE COACH MALMINDER GILL
While we know the all too familiar ‘Fear Of Missing Out’, many of us are grappling with the opposite right now. FOGO - aka the ‘Fear of Going Out’ - is increasingly common following the lockdowns and the social distancing measures we’ve all been adhering to for over one year.
After months of isolation, anxiety about reengaging with the wider world and adapting lifestyles to a new normality is overwhelming. Award-wining hypnotherapist and life coach, Malminder Gill offers 5 techniques to ease the transition:
Take it gradually
We are undergoing a disruptive change of lifestyle: take your time to figure out how to incorporate new habits into your routine. ‘Going back to normal’ is meant to be a process. Nobody is asking you to return to your pre-lockdown life straightaway, rather introduce changes to your lifestyle weekly.
Cultivate positivity
To help with managing stress, avoiding unnecessary panic and reducing anxiety, an effective exercise is to repeat affirmations and mantras such as ‘I trust my body’s internal wisdom’; ‘Although I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel I know it’s there’; ‘I’m choosing to see the positive in each and every day’. Malminder guides those suffering doing so in her free online programme ‘Manage Coronavirus Anxiety’, where she combines different relaxation techniques including deep breathing.
Create certainties
The current situation has forced us to navigate through uncertainty, causing our anxiety levels to peak. Try to find ways of feeling in control again, these may be simple actions like starting a day with a run or grabbing your to-go breakfast at your local café.
Boost your immune system
To counteract the negative effect of anxiety on the immune system, make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating plenty of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables and staying active.
Set priorities
To make this transition easier, it is helpful to have a clear picture of what your priorities are going to be. Write them down and outline how you can achieve them.