During my previous life as a Royal Marine in 40 Commando, it was usual for us as military personnel to experience certain ‘hardships’ that most of us until recently, never had to experience.
This all became very clear when I saw a funny meme going about on how all soldiers know all too well, and that is;
Now obviously this list is meant as a bit of light-hearted fun to reduce people’s anxiety and stress which is exactly how we all dealt with it.
That’s not to say we didn’t have a bitch and moan about things but as long as this was kept to a minimum and one of the lads made light of it plus we always did as was told whether we agreed or not that was the discipline instilled in us all.
So how can we all learn and use this ‘squaddie’ mentality to overcome and even thrive in this unusual place we find ourselves.
Because the list above became such an all too familiar experience many soldiers simply learnt to just let things pass and to not dwell on things for too long and let them fester by overthinking. Generally, things happened that were beyond our own control and the training taught us to focus so much on your own personal admin and that of your ‘oppo’ (your buddy you work very closely with on a day to day basis). Because you are so busy with your own admin ie cleaning your equipment, making a brew or fitness that you don’t have time to dwell too much on what is not in your control. Not to mention the fact that it happens so often you simply give up worrying about what is not in your own control.
As we saw from the previous skill by working on your self and your ‘oppo’ you will not have the time nor the energy to think about the ‘what ifs’ and worry about anything in the future. Because of the amount of time spent in these situations you learn to focus more readily on the present moment and even if you do have to think about the future it is most likely you would only be planning and in preparation.
If there were slower periods some of the guys would think about the past but this was always only to reminisce about funny things that happened or of what one of the lads did otherwise known as ‘spinning dit’s’. Never were there times as can be seen in some Hollywood movies whereby soldiers can be seen getting very emotional over past occurrences, which never happens in the real world and even if you did it’s highly infectious and so one of your ‘oppo s’ would stop you in your tracks by taking the ‘p’ out of you to relieve the stress.
Imagine then if you will how many of you in this current moment may begin to feel overwhelmed by the current situation and now imagine what a soldier feels when he is in the midst of battle and in a firefight. He may see fellow soldiers get hit and either wounded or die there is an enemy trying to kill him, he is having to find cover and stay in formation, how do you think you would cope?
Well, the truth is that all of your training kicks in and all you can do is automatically follow what you have been trained to do whether it be winning the firefight, checking magazines, keeping your ‘oppo’ left and right of you in line of sight, using cover and movement, and listening out for orders. At that moment everything falls away and you are intensely in that moment. There is no past, there is no future, there just is the present moment where your entire being is focused on the task in hand.
Obviously this is an extreme example of being in the present but another thing to remember is to simply focus on each day as it comes. If you need to plan for the future with regards to your finances and your bills and food budgets then do so. But having planned everything out make sure you start each day with a plan for only that day and to not worry or think about anything else. This will help you from becoming overwhelmed.
Although we are being told to stay at home and to self isolate it does not stop us from using technology to communicate with one another. If anything I feel people are probably connecting with each other now more than ever. My wife who is not from the UK uses a simple group chat app whereby she communicates with every member of her family which was up to 10 different people at once even though each member of the family was in a different part of the world. In the military one of the biggest contributions to remaining sane in insane situations was the friendship around you. It is important to stay connected when all of you are in the same boat and experiencing all of the same emotions. It is not, however, useful nor helpful to over sympathise and try to comfort one another. The situation is unusual and can be distressing complicating things by trying to comfort and appease someone is not useful in such situations and if anything can be harmful and allow people to wallow in dispair.
Chances are you will have absolutely no idea what is happening around you and around the world. The information given to soldiers was always delayed and usually not very useful so you learn to not concern yourself with anything that wasn’t a direct order. And even then there is an old saying that originated in the trenches from the First World War and that was “send three and fourpence we’re going to a dance”. The original message was said to have been “send reinforcements we’re going to advance”.
This joke was meant to represent the usual Chinese whispers aspect of gossip and its negative consequences. Unfortunately in these modern times every and I mean every single media outlet whether large or small has become a gossip factory with very little actual ‘news’ . Listen and follow these forms of information at your peril. Find official sites such as what the government provide and official bodies such as the World Health Organisation, etc. The sooner you turn off any of the mainstream news channels the better.
Lastly, it is important to note there are so many things outside of your own control so it’s even more important to focus on your own circle of influence. And that starts with remaining positive and keeping yourself active by doing some form of exercise every day and if you’re into social media post it so as to motivate others plus if you have to post your workouts on a daily basis that in itself will keep you motivated to do more. Make the most of your days by giving yourself various tasks either with your family or alone. Give yourself goals to achieve over this period like finishing home tasks, completing books, etc. Keep yourself so busy you do not have time to think about the external. And if you are feeling strong within yourself then take some time out for self-reflection and think about how you want to better yourself.
I help men awaken their inner hero. For executives wanting more from life. I provide you with the tools and techniques to fulfil your life ambitions and goals. To become the hero in your own…
Post articles and opinions on Leeds Professionals
to attract new clients and referrals. Feature in newsletters.
Join for free today and upload your articles for new contacts to read and enquire further.
