Staying Calm in Troubled Times
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread world-wide. There is great uncertainty and anxiety is increasing. These are challenging times, and you may be faced with tough options and may feel overwhelmed, confused, and helpless. Taking action to relieve your emotional distress will help you feel stronger and more capable of weathering this scary time. Taking care of your mental health and finding peace (even moments of peace) will strengthen your immune system and make you more resilient. Below are several suggestions to help you stay calm:
Breathe
Deep breathing is the fastest way to calm yourself and clear your mind. It helps to bring your rational brain back online so that you can make good decisions and navigate the challenge ahead of you. Deep-breathing can be done anywhere, anytime. Focus on breathing deep enough that your belly expands.
A simple, effective breathing technique is to breathe in through your nose as you count to 4, hold your breath as you count to 4, and exhale through your mouth as you count to 8. Repeat at least four times.
Focus on Love Rather than Fear
Loving thoughts bring a smile to your face, can boost your mood, and lower your blood pressure. Fear has the opposite effect. Love strengthens your immune function; fear weakens it. Love calms your heart. Find ways to reach out with love to others (from a distance for now). Do what you can to love and serve those around you.
Maintain Healthy Habits and Routines
Faith-based habits, such as prayer, bring comfort to many. Continuing to exercise, stretch, and eat healthily is essential; unfortunately, the human tendency in a stressful situation is more along the lines of binge-watching streaming services and consuming junk food. If your regular routine has been disrupted, it is helpful to come up with a new routine so that life can feel more normal. Go to bed and get up at a regular time and build some structure into your day.
Release Emotions (Give yourself permission to feel how you feel)
Bottled emotions can contribute to feelings of panic and lack of control. Releasing emotions can help you return to a calm state. There is something therapeutic about writing out your feelings. Remember, whether you are feeling, sad, afraid, confused, helpless, or angry, the feeling will pass. Getting the emotions out on paper may help you release them. Some clients find it helpful to shred what they have written. The shedding process can symbolize letting go of those feelings, and shredding what they have written allows clients to get their feelings out, without the fear of someone else reading them.
Use Mindfulness
Try taking a nice warm shower and focus on the smell of the shampoo, the way the water feels on your body, the steam and the soap bubbles, and watch how the water drains from the tub or shower. Slow down when eating so that you taste the food in your mouth, pay attention to textures, smells, and flavors. Mindfulness means taking time to pay attention to all of your senses. Noticing the little things will help you practice mindfulness.
Feel and Express Gratitude
If you find yourself caught up in negative thoughts, try switching your focus to gratitude. When turning to gratitude, be specific rather than general. Don’t just say I am grateful for my children, partner, friends, parents, or pets. Consider particular moments in time that you felt gratitude. Focus on that moment until you feel the gratitude bubbling up inside of you. It requires practice and skill, but learning to find gratitude even in the difficulties of life builds great resilience.
Call on Your Inner Strength
Meditation encourages you to simply be in the present moment without judgment. A simple meditation involves choosing a word, like one, or peace, or love. Then breathe deeply and repeat your chosen word each time you exhale. If you get distracted, just bring your attention back to your breath and continue repeating your chosen word with each exhale. Continue for 5 to 8 minutes. If you have not meditated before, you may wish to start with a 2-minute meditation and work your way up. Do not be concerned about clearing your mind of thoughts; just keep refocusing on your breath and repeating the word as you exhale.
If you are having trouble meditating, try a guided meditation. There are many videos on Youtube that can be useful for helping you relax. Try searching for guided meditation, hypnosis, and relaxation.
Find Meaning in the Challenge
A powerful strategy for getting through troubled times is finding meaning in the challenge. Use your journal to record what you are learning as you go through this challenge. Share the opportunities that you have had to stretch, grow, and be courageous. Document what has kept you going and what you will take away from this time.
Disconnect from Social Media and the News
Especially if spending time immersed in these media are upsetting and worrying you, take a timeout from watching or scrolling. When you are scrolling, look for reliable sources. Below are a couple of links for Saskatchewan and Canada:
Saskatchewan:
https://saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus#utm_campaign=q2_2015&utm_medium=short&utm_source=%2Fcoronavirus
Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/publications/diseases-conditions.html
Reconnect with Nature or Soothing Music
Both of these can help change the state of your mind. They can uplift and comfort you. Get out in nature if you can, if you are not able to get out in nature, try listening to your favorite calming or uplifting music.
In difficult times, there is often the tendency to set aside self-care. By taking time to pause the worry wheel and consciously take steps to remain calm, you will be a strength to your loved ones. You will also be more resilient and confident as you face this challenge.