No one could predict a worldwide pandemic would shut down schools, cancel baseball season and have half of us converting to working from home. We have suddenly been thrown into a significant lifestyle shift. On a scale of 0 to 10, how much has your life changed in the past week?
We are ALL struggling to adjust to a multitude of changes.
New work routine?
New to remote learning/homeschooling our children?
New to cooking more at home?
New financial challenges?
The list goes on and on.
Here are a few tips from the counselors at Anxiety Specialists Counseling Center to promote staying centered and calm through the weeks ahead.
1- Be kind to yourself
Please, be kind to yourself. No one can figure all this out in one week. Give yourself a little grace and remember you are resilient! Validate the feelings you are having and notice if you are having self-critical thoughts.
Replace all the “I should….” statements with something more uplifting.
• I am resilient.
• We will get through this!
• I love my children.
• We are a team.
• These are temporary inconveniences.
• I am grateful for ___.
• Or find your own inspirational song or quote.
2- Get out
No, not to a concert with 5,000 of your closest friends. But for heaven sakes, get out of your house daily!
• Go for a hike
• Ride your bike
• Find a pond and feed some ducks
• Drive the Natchez Trace to sightsee
• Walk around your neighborhood
• Sit outside for meals
• Take your laptop outside for work
Sunlight is a mood booster. Fresh air is essential. Plus, UV light kills viruses. It’s a win-win!
3 – Practice
This crisis will deliver a multitude of opportunities to practice calming strategies and flexibility in the face of fear and frustration. Sometimes, I ace it! But lots of times, I fall flat on my face. Let’s practice being the best version of ourselves.
• A little less time on fear inducing social media
• A little more time one on one with our kids
• Read a book
• Write a letter
• Try a relaxation exercise on Calm.com or Insight Timer (phone apps)
• Clean out a closet
• Snuggle
• Play chase
• Enjoy a movie marathon
• Try Yoga w Adriene on Youtube
• Or shake your booty with Fitness Marshall
I challenge you to be creative, loving and connected. I’ll tell ya like I told my 5 year old today, we survive this thing by being kind and working together as a team. That and a sweet hug softened us both.
The counselors at Anxiety Specialists are here to support you through this COVID-19 crisis. If you think you could benefit from an individual counseling session please reach out. We are currently offering telemental health sessions on a HIPPA secure video platform.
Visit anxietyscc.com for more resources or to schedule and appointment.