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The current time will provide challenges for everyone. There is a lot that we can't control and uncertainties about the future. We've got a few suggestions that might help you.
1. Structure your day
Even if you're not working, or not having scheduled appointments or deadlines, having a (rough) day structure will give you a sense of predictablility and purpose. Ideally, your day or week routine will include work, which can be either paid employement, or tasks you set yourself. These activities will provide you with a sense of achievemeent and challenges you enough to develop yourself. Another important part of the day should be play - activities that give us joy or contentment. Exercise is now more than ever an important ingredient. We process a lot of strong emotions during this time and exercise will support our body in staying flexible, both physically as mentally. 2. Stay connected. This is happening to all of us - we're in this together and it has never been more important to share our experiences and be available for each other. Likewise, you might be keen to continue seeing groups online and talk about other things, wheter it is a bookclub or something else that interests you. Is there someone you can think of that could do with a chat? Anyone who might not reach out themselves? You can really make a difference in someone's life. We are social animals and we need to 'feed' our natural need to be with others. 3. Learn to meditate. There is not a better moment to learn to meditate, if you haven't already. Meditation can help you in developing a different relationship with your self, and will increase your ability to 'sit' with higher levels of distress. We often hear that people find they 'can't meditate' - this is a based on a great misunderstanding. There is no such thing as being 'good' or 'bad' at meditating - it's just about our intention of doing this for our selves. If you want to try Mindfulness, we can recommend our local colleague Karen Liebenguth (greenspacecoaching.com) who is offering online lunchtime meditation sessions for a donation here. If you are ready to commit to doing a meditation course we would recommend learning Trancendental Meditation, now also available to learn online from our trusted colleague Andre Berry here. 4. Limit watching the news. Although it is good to stay informed, it's important to realise that watching the news will immediately impact on your emotional wellbeing. Just notice your body when switching on the news and observe if you notice any anxiety symptoms. We want to avoid flooding ourselves with distress. Limit yourself to set moments in the day and switch off mindfully. 5. Take it one day at a time. With so much uncertainties and our reality changing so dramatically from moment to moment it's very tempting to ruminate about the future. Sometimes we might feel that if we've thought through all the worst case scenario's we would be better prepared. This is a myth and will only result in ongoing worry. It might be helpful to seperate out 'useful' and 'less useful' worries - this can help us to accept what we can't change, and change the things we do have control over. 6. Ask for help when you need it. Our team of therapists is specialised in helping you cope with the impact of trauma and distress. Please give us a ring if you want to know more. |
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