How’s everyone doing with this staying at home thing?
Somedays I don’t mind it – and then I feel down and all over the place. I miss hugging my kids and seeing my friends. It’s mind-boggling to realize how many people are in the same situation all over the world.
For people who have anxiety, depression and/or survivors of trauma – isolation can be especially hard. We must try to concentrate on the positives and find things to be grateful for. We need to focus our minds to keep the black cloud from enveloping all of our thinking. Can you relate?
One big help for me is to listen to the News in very limited amounts. I catch NPR on my radio occasionally and tune in to a local or national morning TV news program for no more than an hour. For me, it would be distressing to hear the constant talk about Covid-19 any more than that. I also refuse to hear or read about it before bed.
I’ve found it helpful to get outside everyday. Just hanging out in the yard to water plants, weed the garden, feed the squirrels and even rake leaves lifts my mood! Going for a walk or bike ride feels good too. Inside the house I have tackled one junk cabinet and one drawer in the kitchen to clean out and organize. See below for Before and After pictures. It made me feel amazingly accomplished and I can’t tell you how many times I opened that cabinet to admire it! It’s good to pat yourself on the back for doing little things.
Being proud of yourself is better than anyone else being proud of you. Happiness really does come from within.
BEFORE - Junk cabinet
AFTER – organized
You don’t have to clean the whole garage or plan a major project! If you’re like me, that can be too daunting and it’s better to start one small thing that you can actually do. That sense of success can lead to more accomplishments.
These days it’s valuable to keep a routine (like regular bed and wakeup times) and make some goals for the day ahead. If you don’t have work to do, it’s tempting to watch endless TV shows and YouTube videos. (Finish watching “Schitt’s Creek” is one of my current goals. :D) Self-care is about finding a balance – and being kind to ourselves. Be easy on yourself if you want to take a day to stay in your pajamas watching movies. But try not to make it a habit. Allow yourself a “day off” and then make some goals for the next day.
Now can be a time to learn something new! Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn a new language or get better at meditating. There are many opportunities to learn online – or get yourself a book that interests you.
Stay connected to people you know. It’s important to remember that everyone is feeling alone and uncertain. Look through your phone and send a text to someone you haven’t talked to in some time. Everyone wants to feel remembered. It will lift both of your days! Maybe it will lead to a great phone conversation.
I have to share a fantastic resource I cannot recommend enough. It’s designed for survivors of child abuse, sexual assault or domestic violence – but I believe it would be helpful for ANYONE who needs a positive lift right now.
Rena Romano is an amazing person – she is an author, speaker, coach, has done a Tedx talk and appeared on the Oprah show. Her gift is lifting others and being a grand example of overcoming heartbreaking trauma to become truly happy. She has just launched an online course called the “Thrive Perspective” and it’s available to you all to get at home in your pajamas!
I am halfway through the course and love the support, gentle encouragement and tools that she gives to bring yourself out of the dark thoughts. We all know that we should practice self-care and positive self-talk, focus on being grateful, yada, yada, yada. But how? Especially now?
There are worksheets to see where you are and what’s keeping you stuck, advice about affirmations, access to the Positive Prime App, practical tools and much more!
One day I learned in the course to choose a gratitude symbol as a reminder to be grateful. I chose a butterfly. Later I found myself aggravated by my husband and felt very “activated”. I went outside to water the garden and saw a beautiful monarch on the milkweed! It instantly diffused how angry I felt and made me smile and sigh to myself: “Oh yeah, I’m very grateful - for so much.” It was amazing – and so simple.
This course is like having an accepting, warm friend give you counseling and usable methods to make you feel that you’re not alone and capable of anything. I admire Rena’s strength and courage to show her humanness.
She admits to feeling exactly how I’ve felt about myself.
It’s hard to put a value on all that’s included but it’s less than half the cost of one therapy session. The course can be watched at your own pace and digested over and over. Really, what have you got to lose? Rena is not a psychologist, but she is a survivor that has worked hard on healing her past and is very wise and uplifting. I know you’ll be inspired by her too. You owe it to yourself to check it out. Click on the link below NOW.
Stay well, my friends.