STAYING MOTIVATED WHEN YOU ARE SAD OR SCARED
PODCAST #385 
How can you stay motivated when things feel like they're falling apart around you? If you're overwhelmed by the circumstances of your life, or learning how to process ambiguous grief or the uncertainty of the unknown, then this episode is for you. You'll learn how to stay motivated when you are sad or scared and how to make the most of what you have available to you. Get the full show notes at www.trishblackwell.com/385

In this episode of The Confidence Podcast we're talking about:

Ambiguous grief in the time of COVID-19 and how to process it
How to stay motivated when you are sad, mad or scared at this time
Making the most of the hand of cards you have

REVIEW OF THE WEEK: 

Blissful Encouragement - 5 Stars
by TravelerSB
Trish gives me such encouragement with her amazing energy and loving spirit. The content she provides shifts my mindset into a positive place,  often when I need it the most. Thank you, Trish,  for sharing your light and your gifts with the world in this way!
AMBIGUOUS GRIEF: GIVE IT SPACE
-Loss of control
-Upturning of big life events
-Balancing deep sadness with deep gratitude to be alive and healthy
-Feelings of unrest and wasted effort
Ambiguous loss is a loss that occurs without closure or clear understanding. This kind of loss leaves a person searching for answers, and thus complicates and delays the process of grieving, and often results in unresolved grief.
You might be experiencing ambiguous grief for the following reasons as a by-product of COVID-19:
Missed athletic championship, missed athletic season, canceled graduations, isolated Easter holidays, loss of a job, furloughed family members (and potential guilt for not being in the same position), uncertain global economic conditions, rescheduled vacations, postponed weddings, inability to connect with loved ones to mourn the loss of life, missed birthday plans, compromised family Spring traditions, closed gyms and training facilities, rescheduled major tests or opportunity for promotion, lost progress on financial goals, or just loss of general sense of normalcy. 
ACKNOWLEDGE THE LOSS

Nothing is wasted - not your work, not your planning, not your efforts leading up to this point. 
Whatever it is that you are letting go of and grieving, allow yourself the space to feel what you feel.
Journal and express what you feel into sentences; put words to your heart. 
Honor what is lost and decide what matters most to you moving forward. Remember that with loss always comes life and a gift of deeper appreciation. 

HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED: DECIDE HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT IS PRESENT
Enjoy - thrive - live today well.

Create a schedule - everything has a place: workouts, creative time, cleaning, food prep chill time, etc. Differentiate between weekday schedules and weekend schedules and identify what days you do certain things versus what days you don't.
Identify your daily transition points- use music, fresh air, a Netflix break, a phone call to your mom, etc. to create a sense of daily normalcy; which will increase your overall productivity.
Utilize social media effectively, not obsessively.Set time limits to your scroll, unfollow certain people and use apps that connect you in real-time socially with others. 
Ground yourself in gratitude.When you use gratitude effectively it reminds you of all the things that are going right and going well right now.
Set monthly goals and micro-milestones.For me, April is a month of 8-hours of sleep. I have "connection" goals with my husband. I have quality time and creative goals with my kids. I have writing goals for my next book. 

It's imperative that you remember that we are not on "pause" with life. This is life, right now, as it is. If you aren't sure where to start or what to do, you can pray a prayer I like to pray: "Lord, thank You for this new normal. Open my eyes to see what it is that I should be focused on,