"Losing your head in a crisis is a good way to become the crisis."
- C.J. Redwine
Many of us feel more than stressed out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the associated job losses, social unrest, mask mandates, and lockdowns that have occurred over the last several months. We are filled with doubt things will return back to normal. We feel uncertain about our future and our children’s future. We feel angry and frustrated that our goals, dreams, and world have been turned upside down by a force we have no control over. We are scared about how much worse things can get and what “getting through this” will look like for us.
WHY IS MENTAL HEALTH SELF-CARE SO IMPORTANT?
While taking care of one’s own mental health allows us to be the best mother, father, student, teacher, friend, lover, and person we can be, it is now even more important than ever as we are facing a pandemic that threatens our lives, our relationships, our goals, our careers, and our communities to be proactive in taking care of our mental health.
When we are faced with a real or perceived threat, our parasympathic nervous system become activated. This is our “fight-flight-freeze” response where stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are dumped into our system to help us fight off the threat, escape danger, or freeze to protect us from harm. The parasympathetic nervous system has one purpose and one purpose only… to help us survive.
This automatic response to threat is something we have no control over. While our parasympathetic nervous system has helped humans survive threats and catastrophes for thousands of years, it is not meant to stay active 24/7 like so many of our parasympathetic nervous systems are right now during this pandemic.
We will simply burn out.
NEGLECTING OUR MENTAL HEALTH CARE TENDS TO CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SOLVES
Many of us are feeling absolutely overwhelmed just trying to survive in this chaotic situation that we feeling exhausted and burned out. We just want giving up and just want to hide out in a secluded cabin deep in the wilderness until this mess blows over.
But we can’t. We have people and things we are responsible to and for. Bills need to be paid. Children need to be taken care of. Marriages and family members need our care and attention. People need our help and support… but where’s ours?
Feeling overwhelmed, scared, and trapped tends to cause rash and destructive outcomes that creates many more problems than it solves. Our survival brain cares only about… well… surviving by any means necessary… even at the expense of others or ourselves (e.g. self-destructive behaviors).
You may have noticed yourself or loved ones have been snapping more at one another or getting into arguments more frequently. You may have noticed you or your loved ones becoming more disconnected or disengaged from each other. You may have noticed that you or your loved ones seem more depressed and withdrawn. You may have noticed that you or your loved ones are using drugs and alcohol more often than usual.
When we neglect our own mental health self-care things around us start to erode and fall apart. We simply cannot be as engaged and helpful as we want to be when we too are struggling to swim these stormy, chaotic seas of danger and uncertainty. You can’t help put someone else’s oxygen mask on if you don’t have one on yourself.
3 MENTAL HEALTH SELF-CARE TIPS TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE DURING THE PANDEMIC
1. Connection is key
No matter what personal challenge or catastrophe we are experience, everything feels a bit more manageable and hopeful when we have caring people who support us when we need it most. Having someone to laugh with lightens our mood. Having someone to share our personal struggles with leaves us feeling validated and understood. Spending quality time doing something you enjoy with someone you care about gives us helps us feel more connected and hopeful.
Engage with those people who give you hope, inspiration, care, and support. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while and check in on them. Video chat with your friends or family so you can see their wonderful faces (our nervous system will emotionally mirror back the positive facial expressions of others). Take appropriate precautions to meet each other in person for lunch or invite some people over to play a few board games.
While social isolation can be helpful in certain circumstances, like being contagious during a pandemic, humans are social animals. Social connections with people we trust and care about are immensely important to our mental health. Not only will having other people to rely on when we’re in need help us survive, they too can help us thrive in times of crisis.
2. Create or do something meaningful to fill your cup
With millions people unemployed, working from home, working less, or not able to do certain activities they did prior to the pandemic, many of us now have more time to work on projects or personal goals, be of service to others, engage in a favorite hobby, or do something you’ve been putting off for a while than we have had before.
While it’s nice to be able to kick back and watch Netflix or scrolling through our social media feed, many of us deep down do not find constantly watching Netflix or perusing on social media personally meaningful or fulfilling. Actually, we ‘re often left feeling more anxious, angry, confused, and empty after doing these things consistently for long periods of time.
There is nothing more defeating to mental wellness than constantly feeling trapped, helpless, and stagnant. We have all been forced to be adaptive and creative, so, allow your creative expression to flow.
Create or do something that fills your cup and allows you to feel productive, fulfilled, and satisfied. What are some things around your house that need fixing? Maybe it’s learning to cook a new recipe or redecorating your home to for a fresh new look. Start with something small that you can easily accomplish - maybe it’s just spending some time contemplating projects or tasks you want to start working on – and work your way up to greater things from there.
3. Move your body
Physical movement and exercise is just as beneficial for our mental wellness as it is for our physical health. Engaging in exercise can reduce anxiety and depression, improve memory, boost self-esteem, minimize stress, and enhance cognitive functioning. Moving the body literally boosts the brain.
Now, you don’t need a gym to physically exercise nor do you have to do intense workouts to experience the benefits of physical movement. Something as easy as walking or simple stretching is just as valuable to mental wellness as working out at the gym.
When you notice yourself feeling a bit stressed out, get up and get moving that body.
SOME PEOPLE MAY NEED SOME EXTRA CARE AND SUPPORT…
While the above tips are great for helping people maintain mental wellness during these stressful times, sometimes our struggles need a bit more direct care and attention to overcome.
WholeHearted Therapy LLC is dedicated to helping clients navigate their way through this pandemic. To provide appropriate social distancing precautions, WholeHearted Therapy is offering teletherapy for all counseling services.
If you want some additional care and support for yourself or your loved ones, please Contact me for a free 15-minute consultation to address any questions or concerns you may have around seeking professional counseling or you can request an appointment below.
Just because we are in strange and uncertain times doesn’t mean your goals, dreams, and mental health wellness needs to suffer.