Bill Gasiamis 0:00
It’s Bill from recoveryafterstroke.com and I just finished recording the latest episode of the recovery after stroke podcast with my friend Jim Karagiannis and the topic we spoke about is uncertainty and how to navigate uncertain times.
You know, recently the whole world has changed in that we’re being asked to do things we’ve never had to do before.
Bill Gasiamis 0:23
And there are changes happening so rapidly, and so fast that we are finding it difficult to keep up with all the different messages and all the different things that are changing. And if you’re watching the television to get your news, or you’re reading it in a, you know, large newspaper, you’re probably getting that information in a way that is designed to keep you watching and to keep you reading for as long as possible.
Bill Gasiamis 0:54
And to keep buying the next day’s paper and to And to keep tuning in the following day, because that’s how it is that those guys make money. They make money from the amount of people that buy the newspaper, the amount of ads that they sell. And they also make money by keeping you tuned into television programs, where they supposedly share their stories about what’s going on in the world and telling you that they are the ones that are informing you and keeping you up to date with everything.
Bill Gasiamis 1:27
And yet there’s never a positive spin on any of that reporting from these so called professional reporters. So what I wanted to do today is just let you know that there is definitely a way that we can go about managing uncertain times. And as a stroke survivor, if you’ve been through a stroke, you’ve actually already navigated uncertain times.
Bill Gasiamis 1:51
You may not be aware of it, but you definitely have so you have a reference point and a reference structure for how to go about navigating uncertain times. All you’ve got to do is look back and see what it was that worked for you and do the same thing again. Now for me, what worked for me in uncertain times was not thinking too far ahead into the future and what all the possible things might mean what it might mean for this and what it might mean for that.
Bill Gasiamis 2:18
For me, navigating uncertain times meant that I just took each day as it came and solve the problems of that particular day. And by the time a number of days had passed, I look back to reflect on how many problems I had solved, and how far I had come even in a short amount of time. One of the other things I did is I stopped hanging around with people that were going to influence my mental health, my mental well being in a negative way.
Bill Gasiamis 2:27
And that meant that I wasn’t watching television shows or reading newspapers that were negative and attacking my sense of calmness. What I was doing was tuning into those types of shows, and those types of articles that were going to give me the best opportunity to learn something, and to lift my spirits. I know that you may be facing some restrictions in your coming weeks and those restrictions is not necessarily a thing that’s going to give you make more more things difficult now, it’s a perfect time to reach out to the people that you know, that will help you if only you ask for the help.
Bill Gasiamis 3:36
It’s a perfect time for you to become more creative as to how to find new ways to do things. It’s a perfect time for you to learn a new skill or overcome a challenge that you’ve been facing that you have no choice but to face right now. And the more you focus on the solutions, rather than the problems, the more solutions you’ll find and the better off you will be.
Bill Gasiamis 4:03
Now, social distancing is something that we’ve been asked to do, which means that we shouldn’t congregate in areas where there’s people for a small amount of time. And when I say a small amount of time, if you think about it in the scheme of things in a lifetime, the amount of time that you are going to be expected to do something different, and to behave differently is like, such a small amount of time in the scheme of things. And you will get this through this and it is not permanent, it is temporary. It is a temporary thing.
Bill Gasiamis 4:39
So go ahead and get curious about what you could do, to learn something new to experience, a new way of interacting with people just like I am today, by coming live to you in your home on the particular social media page that you’re looking at or wherever you find these videos. And be careful of who you let into the room.
Bill Gasiamis 5:07
If what I’m saying doesn’t suit you, and you don’t like to hear it, and it’s not making you feel inspired, then don’t allow me to come into your living room never before in history has been so easy for negative press to enter our homes, our minds, and our spirit. These guys are coming directly into our homes whenever they want 24 hours a day, seven days a week and all we’ve got to do is pick up the phone and look at it. So be careful who you let into your home. Be careful who you let into your mind and be careful who you let into your world and who’s going to influence your well being.
Bill Gasiamis 5:55
Don’t trust these guys in giving you the type of news that is going to uplift you and make you feel better. The media at large is about keeping us engaged with them in a way that’s making them money. Now, if you need to speak to anyone about how you’re feeling at the moment, please do hit me up, send me a DM, or an email bill at recovery after stroke calm, I will answer that email directly. And I answer all my direct messages. If I don’t answer it immediately.
Bill Gasiamis 6:35
Just give it some time or send another message to remind me. For now, the best way to manage a state where you’re not feeling the best or you’re feeling a little bit out of sorts, is to just do some deep breathing. My recommendation is to download a guided meditation somewhere for free from YouTube from wherever you can get it. And sit quietly somewhere and just allow yourself to breathe and breathe calmness into your world and into your mind. Allow calmness to enter your heart and then allow calmness to gently guide you down to your belly and allow calmness to enter your belly while you breathe gently and effortlessly.
Bill Gasiamis 7:36
While connecting to your heart and with your hand on your heart, asking yourself what’s really important for me right now. What’s really important for me right now, and just do what’s important for you right now. Look after yourself first, breathe calmness into your heart. And as you do that, allow calmness to gently into your mind. Bring calmness into your mind and allow your mind to just go quiet and stay calm. And as it does, you’ll notice that your heart will be able to speak up and tell you what it needs right now.
Bill Gasiamis 8:33
Be well reach out. Let me know if I can help. Thank you.
