If you are living in the year 2020, you are likely going through a really hard time right now. Healthcare workers are in the front lines of a pandemic, families have to stay home, and essential workers are working diligently to ensure Americans have sufficient food and supplies.
Whether you are a health professional or an essential employee, there is one factor we all share, risking our lives. Lets get comfortable with the uncomfortable, one of the primary factors we are stressed is due to the thought that we may become sick or pass the disease to our vulnerable family members. This fear has the potential to become anxiety and lead you down a path of constant stress and negativity. Constant stress not only hurts you mentally, but also physically. The American Psychological Association has reported a spectrum of negative effects your body can experience from stress, from the respiratory to the reproductive system.
Now that we have learned a bit about stress, how can we manage it while working from home, are afraid of this virus and experience burnout? The following exercises are researched-based but may not work for you. As I have explained to past clients, if you do not like a certain exercise, continue to search for the one that helps you feel at peace and happy.
1.)Mindfulness Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensation. This can be used as a therapeutic intervention. Mindfulness means acknowledging the bad as much as the good. Being able to tell yourself āI am sad, and that is okayā or āI am scared and that is okayā not only opens your vulnerability, but actually helps healing more efficiently than bottling your emotions. I have always asked clients āWhat happens when we bottle our emotions if we had an actual bottle and our emotions were water?ā The response is typically that it would explode or overflow. 2.)The Common Humanity This oneās a fun one. When we experience a hardship, we tend to think this has only happened to us āWhy me?ā. However, what if I told you there are over 7 Billion humans on this planet and I can guarantee you there are people out there who have experienced what you have? The common humanity phrase helps individuals not by minimizing their situations, but by helpIng them learn that there are others out there who have been through the same thing. Those people had their share of pain, but they ended up becoming okay and you can too.
3.)Mindful Touch Kind of funny to use this exercise when we are not supposed to be touching our faces! So, please make sure to sanitize or wash your hands! Mindful touch is applying mindfulness and using a form of self compassion on yourself. We often see in movies an individual crying and the protagonist gently and warmly places their hand on their cheek, providing that physical and emotional support. What if I told you this can also be done alone without anyone? This is the point of self-compassion. We do not need to be solely reliant on others to receive happiness. We can provide ourselves with the same care we give to others. Gently place your hand on your cheek, your other hand, or your chest. Use your mindfulness to tell yourself how you are feeling. If you are unsure, give yourself permission to listen to what your body is trying to whisper. Sometimes it might say āI just need some silenceā or āI did not like what you said about yourself earlier todayā. After listening, acknowledge what your body has said. Then move on to self compassion. 4.)Self - Compassion The Latin root for the word compassion is pati, which means to suffer, and the prefix com- means with. Compassion, originating from compati, literally means to suffer with. Self-Compassion involves that same compassion towards yourself when you are suffering. I was privileged in being able to take a Mindfulness & Self Compassion course taught by Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, creating a scale to measure the construct over fifteen years ago. To learn more of self-compassion exercises by Dr. Kneff, click here. One of my personal favorite exercises is using a combination of mindful touch and applying compassionate affirmations. If you still have your hand on your chest, give yourself positive affirmations. āYou are beautiful, you are handsome, you are smart, assertive, confident, and an amazing human. You do not need to tell yourself such mean words. You do not deserve that. I am here for you and I love youā. Practicing positive affirmations daily has the potential to rewire our brains to not only relieve stress, but anxiety and depression as well. 5.) Deep Breathing 4-7-8 Meditation Deep breathing can be a wonderful exercise to help ease stress or anxieties. This exercise consists of breathing in for 4 seconds straight, holding our breath for 7 seconds, then blowing out all of your air for 8 seconds straight. This can be challenging but feel free to change your time to a shorter duration and build up. Personally, I experience a fuzzy feeling in my head but it feels euphoric and I feel at peace. If you feel dizzy please discontinue the exercise and consider an alternative. 6.) Writing and Journaling
Writing and journaling have been shown to increase a healthy psyche over time. Dr. James Pennebaker was one of the pioneers of biofeedback from writing and traumatic experiences to heal. A word of caution is you are likely to be sad and re-experience your pain, the same thing would happen when practicing mindfulness. In time, your body will be able heal as you are expressing your experiences, stress, and pain.
7.) Adopting a Routine We are a species that enjoys being busy! Being stuck at home, not able to go to the gym or enforcing our previous routines can make us sluggish and miserable. To resolve this, try creating a schedule by writing or drawing one to visualize that can include time to work, time to rest, time for a break, time for a snack, and time for a healthy activity. Whether itās a walk or workout, incorporating a physical activity in your routine is key to reducing stress in your busy life.
We are in one of the most challenging times right now and my message to you is to be aware that it is okay to feel sad, to be mad, and to be scared. However, it is unhealthy to continue to dwell in it, I hope that some of these examples can help reduce stress or burnout. If you are continuing to not feel well please see a mental health professional.
Thanks for Reading!
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