We’re currently going through one of the most difficult times in recent history with Covid causing untold stress and change. Many people are looking for ways to get through this upheaval and are finding solace in different places – some more suitable than others.
When you’ve been through a difficult time and worked hard to create a better and healthier life for yourself, times like this can shake the foundations of self care that you’ve carefully built.
It can be so easy to slip into old patterns that no longer serve you, like overeating, increasing alcohol consumption or neglecting your exercise routine. We’ve all been there, and I’m pretty sure many of us are there now, too.
If you’ve worked hard to find a balance in your life, don’t let all your hard work go to waste.
To help you stay on track, ask yourself the following:
1. Are you acting in ways that serve you now?
There are healthy ways of coping with change, like reaching out for support, meditating, journalling, focusing on the things in life to be grateful for, or whatever works for you. There are also plenty of unhealthy behaviours and old habits we can sometimes fall in to without realising it. Has your alcohol consumption gone up? Are you comfort eating? Are you isolating yourself, or turning to people who drain your energy?
2. Are you expecting too much from yourself?
For most people, life is genuinely difficult at the moment. People are talking about Covid, watching about it on the news, trying to keep up with changes in regulations, worrying about their children being in school, wondering if they will have a job at the end of all this, and trying to process all the other changes the universe is throwing at us right now. Phew! When you think of the amount of information, instruction, worry and opinion you’re faced with every day, it’s really not surprising if you find yourself low in energy, needing to sleep more and feeling emotional at times. You are experiencing a traumatic event. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not as productive as you usually are.
3. What has worked for you in the past?
You have survived traumatic and difficult events before in your life. How did you cope back then? Did your methods work at the time? What didn’t work? Draw on the tools you’ve gained from past experiences to help you get through this. You did it then and you can do it again.
4. What feelings are you trying to mask?
If you realise that you are not employing the most suitable coping mechanisms right now, getting to the root of the feelings you are trying to mask will give you the awareness to approach the situation from a different angle. Some feelings can be incredibly uncomfortable to sit with. Loneliness and boredom can be two of the most difficult emotions to manage and both are running high for many people at the moment. Becoming aware of the feelings you are trying to push down helps you get clarity around your behaviour and is a big step towards finding coping mechanisms that don’t sabotage your own wellbeing.
If you have a chronic illness and want help tuning into your body, the Weekly Wellness Tracker can help you identify the triggers that are affecting your physical symptoms so you can make changes to feel better quickly.
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