The upside to global uncertainty and energy blackouts

In these uncertain times of global unrest, things can seem bleak. Could any good come from not knowing what tomorrow will bring; will there be energy blackouts this winter; and how will Christmas 2022 be, with not much money to go around?
We’re creatures of comfort, we naturally resist change, and we know what we like so we stay with what works for us. This is probably why in these uncertain times we feel a big sense of overwhelm and anxiety about the future. The fear of having our routine messed up and not knowing what will come next. It is totally natural to feal this way, our brains are programmed to look out to keep us safe and alive; anything that threatens our survival – the possibility of having our routine that we know keeps us alive disrupted – invokes anxiety and fear.
Could there be an upside to all this uncertainty we are currently experiencing, and what does it mean for you? You may have heard the term; growth happens outside of your comfort zone?
We could reframe this as a time of change, getting out of our comfort zones. We can adapt accordingly, and new opportunities might present themselves in the process; you just never know. We are all too busy thinking about the effect all this doom will have on us, we don’t see any good sides to it.
People are adapting to the times; we are being more energy conscious and finding new ways to use less electricity. I am getting constant push notifications on my phone to get an Air Fryer because it is a cheaper and more efficient way to cook than a conventional oven. The point here is that we can adapt and make changes to keep on surviving.
If you think back, there was a time when people did not have electricity at all, and they managed as best they could. I’m not saying I want to live by candlelight forever, but it could be done.
If things are to be believed, suggestions are that there could be blackouts between 4-7pm here in the UK. You might not be able to watch evening quiz shows on TV, but what could you do instead; new opportunities to do something a bit different, extra reading time, or time to take up a new hobby, card games with the family. It might not be fun at first, but we soon get used to things, once we know what to expect.
A change is as good as a rest, is a proverb that comes to mind, right now. We all get stuck in the same ho-hum routine, where we are bored of the normalcy of our own existence at times, but we don’t change because it’s comfortable to stay where we are.
What if we reframed things and asked ourselves, what are the opportunities here; instead of how do I protect myself from the unknown? I don’t want to get an Air Fryer because I’m quite familiar with putting things in the oven or microwave, I know how long things take to cook and how I like things done. Using a new cooking device might require me to learn to cook new foods that I’ve not had before, my weekly meal plan might look different. I may end up liking some of the new things I have to do, or the new flavours and textures that come from adapting the way I cook.
If the electric goes off for a few hours, it gives us chance to stop and take a break. One thing I hear people say the pandemic gave us – a break from the busyness of life, it brought families together – time to do things differently. Different might be better.
We survived the pandemic, and adapted to that situation, we can adapt to the current global situation. Humans are very resourceful creatures, remember that. We can adapt and thrive.
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