With the disruptive nature of pandemic, besides health scare, our daily routines have been disrupted, we have been distanced from our friends and family. Experiencing feelings of worry, loneliness or anxiety is nothing but normal during these times and hence it becomes even more vital to take care of our emotional needs.
It is important to address our thoughts, engage in meaningful activities and practice mindfulness.
Working with Thoughts:
Our mind is a story creator. When we don’t know something, we make our best guess and make connections. These stories and assumptions create our reality. Just because we think something, does not mean that it is true.
One of the ways we can change our life is to be mindful of the stories we are creating, opening ourselves to different narratives about a given situation, so that we can choose which story to believe in and act on.
How we consistently think, leads to how we feel and act Here’s few steps we can follow:
Pick a difficult situation you are facing now.
Allow yourself, to explore at least 5 different ways of seeing or interpreting this situation.
Take a look at your assumptions or interpretations and ask yourself:
Is my interpretation truthful?
Is my interpretation kind?
Does it give me the power to act?
Choose an interpretation that gives you more power to resolve your emotions, to act and to take control of the situation.
Planning Actions:
Consciously engage in activities that will make you feel better. Many of them may seem hard and not exactly what you would like to do.
Connect with people who make you feel alive.
Engage in activities which make you physically active like going for a walk, gardening.
Try learning something new, that you have been wanting to do.
Practicing Mindfulness:
Pause at regular intervals during the day and remind yourself to “Slow down & take it easy”
Breathe & relax: Sit in a quiet corner, close your eyes and focus on your breath. As you breathe in feel the air passing through your nose and as you breathe out, feel the air passing through your mouth.
When feeling anxious or overwhelmed you can use 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique.
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Play fun games with yourself:
Write down 3 things I like about myself.
Draw a happy memory from recent past
Draw yourself as an animal.
Write down three positive words starting with the first alphabet of your name.
With increasing challenges, it is important to recognize our emotional and social needs. It is OK to feel sad, confused or overwhelmed. It is OK to reach out to others and seek professional help when needed.
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