If i were to give you 30 minutes of free time tomorrow, in the middle of your working day, and the only caveat was that you needed to do some form of activity – what would you do?
I ask this question of my clients regularly. The most common answers i get are a walk, a run or a quick hit out at the gym. To this day – I am yet to have a single person respond with meditation. It blows my mind.
We continue to put so much emphasis on physical health in the media, online and in social settings yet in the midst of managing pandemic like COVID-19, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and worried which can have a prolonged impact on our mental health. We need to re-frame mental health as our Mental Wealth. It should be at the core of what we do and how we attack life.
Without giving mental health the attention it deserves; humans can quickly fall into a dangerous downward spiral. We may experience increased feelings of anxiety, powerlessness, impatience, irritability or frustration. We may feel uncertainty about the future or worry about isolation amidst rapidly changing schedules and social plans.
While feeling worried is normal and expected at this time, there are fortunately a few ways we can increase our resilience during this time:
1. Take breaks from the news.
After a certain point, it can be more upsetting than informational. Make sure the information you do get is from reputable and non-sensationalist sources. And evaluate how much is helpful for you to read in a day, and aim to stick to that limit. It can be upsetting to hear about the crisis and see images repeatedly.
Try to do some other activities you enjoy to return some normality back to your life as much as possible. Make time to unwind and remind yourself that these strong feelings will fade.
2. Take care of your body.
Take deep breaths. Stretch. Meditate.
Try to eat relatively well balanced meals, move your body regularly, get plenty of sleep and limit alcohol and drugs. This will help boost your immunity and stabilise your mindset in times of stress, fear and anxiety.
3. Plan for coping with a sudden drops in social contact
One of the most prominent ways individuals are asked to help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic is to practice social distancing.
In times of crisis, many people seek connection and comfort from others so it’s important to find creative ways to maintain those connections. We might also find some comfort by remembering that we are not alone, and that we are all in this together to protect the health and well-being of our communities.
Create new traditions for connecting regularly with friends, family and peers via messaging apps. Check in with your people. Call a family member, friend or coworker. Send a text message, direct message or email. Use FaceTime, Zoom or other video formats to communicate.
4. Create a new, adapted schedule taking cancellations into account.
Keep things as consistent as possible and focus on what you can control in terms of disease prevention and more broadly.
Our control resides in taking reasonable precautions and avoiding unnecessary risks. To protect our emotional well-being, we can pay attention to reputable sources of information and adhere to the prevention guidelines set out by WHO (World Health Organisation).
5. Do a “worry drop.”
Write out all of your fears in a journal until your anxiety has dropped by half.
Make a daily list of what is going well, and remember the things that are going well. Despite the current situation, maybe you’re able spend more time with your kids, or reading a book you’ve been meaning to get to or learning how to cook.
If you have a pre-existing mental health condition, these recommendations are especially important. If you have appointments with your therapist or doctor, keep them. If you aren’t feeling well physically, ask for alternative options to see your doctor via tele-health calls.
This is a deeply-concerning time for everyone, let’s stick tight together and constantly be asking your friends, peers, family, colleagues; “Are you ok?” Let’s work on our mental wealth to come out of this crisis more resilient than ever.
Live the life you love.