Emotional Stability Covid-19 Times

Find yourself angry, scared or sometimes hopeless recently? Feeling vulnerable to the condition of our world today? You are certainly not alone.
The jokes about how awful “2020” has been are clever but they only attempt to hide with humor what most of us are feeling on a very core level. For Example:

• The political situation Republicans vs. Democrats
• The upcoming Election
• Black lives matter vs. All lives matter
• Covid-19 to mask or not mask? Real or conspiracy?

At the end of last year, nobody could foresee what was to come in 2020. We all made our lists of goals and wishes and started a fresh new year with a sense of hope.
Soon after, news about this new deadly virus from China started going around, first taken as a joke, but then panic started to grow and soon enough we were all in lockdown, social distancing, wearing masks and disinfecting everything we could lay our eyes on.
In the beginning we didn’t know how long all this would last, we had hoped that it would be only a few weeks or a few months at most, but now, after half a year dealing with this situation our hope and also our mental and emotional stability has started to suffer.
There has been a trend of isolation and loneliness growing all over the world, to the point that some countries believe they’re living through a loneliness epidemic.
The heightened social isolation we are experiencing these days can increase this feeling of loneliness and be detrimental to our mental and emotional health, especially if we live far away from friends and family that could serve as a support system, even with the distancing.
This, added to the political stress of an election year, job loss which leads to decreased income, challenging social issues and the different views on if the current regulations are helpful or not, can create a turmoil of emotions that might need special attention.

What are some of the mental illnesses or instabilities that could come up due to isolation?

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Dementia
• Sleep disorders
• Loneliness
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Who is more vulnerable to developing this issues?

Even though any of us could start seeing signs and symptoms of this mental health issues there are populations that are more vulnerable, and thus, should be alert, like:

• The elderly which is a population that is susceptible to loneliness and isolation even in normal circumstances, due to retirement, widowhood and an empty nest.
• People with disabilities or health conditions that limit physical activity, who may naturally have more challenges to connect socially, are even more vulnerable now.
• Other lifestyle factors that may impact the likelihood of experiencing isolation and loneliness are divorce, living alone, being single and the choice to not have kids or having a smaller family.

What are the 8 signs of suffering mental health?

You should be alert to the following signs and symptoms that might indicate you need help:

• Aggressive behavior
• Constant Sadness
• Passive attitude
• Poor sleep quality
• Cognitive decline
• Altered memory
• Ambivalence
• Self neglect

What can you do to care for your mental health?

• Stay connected to friends and family

  • Nowadays we have the advantage of technology. Try to stay connected with friends and family by regularly meeting via videoconference. Speaking to others and seeing their faces and reactions can give you a sense of counting with a wider support system, which can keep depression and anxiety at bay.

• Strengthen the relationships with your immediate circle

  • Since we are spending more time with the people that live with us, it’s important that we work in bettering these relationships, since constantly having negative interactions can exacerbate our feelings of sadness and loneliness.

• Learn something new

  • Learning something new after spending a lot of time on the couch watching tv or scrolling social media, can help us feel better by giving us back a sense of purpose and it can be fun. It’s an important act of self care to nourish your intellect and work on you interests and passions. This can help you feel more like yourself again.

• Give yourself permission to feel your feelings.

  • It’s normal to be feeling angry, sad, tired and even hopeless in the situation that we’re living right now and it’s healthy to let ourselves get into these emotions and go through them recognizing and accepting them as a good and normal part of the process. Once you give yourself permission to feel your feelings you can then release them and move on.

• Go outside and get moving

  • Taking into account all the measures for your protection, it’s been scientifically proven that going out in nature and breathing fresh air is beneficial to your mental health. Exercising and being outside can give you a much needed boost of endorphins, which can make you feel on top of the world. Plus being outside surrounded by nature can decrease your levels of cortisol and other stress hormones, bringing you back to a calmer state of mind.

•  Eat healthier

  • It’s a well known fact that a healthy diet can impact your mental health tremendously. Studies show that a healthy gut supports good emotional and mental stability. Try to include fresh fruits, vegetables, fiber and probiotics to your diet and try to cut back on refined flours and sugars that give you immediate satisfaction but later throw you into a funk.

• Practice a relaxation technique

  • It’s important to have a moment of relaxation each day, to ground us and bring us back to reality. If you’re in your head all the time, set aside a time to sit and breathe deeply. This oxygenation will calm your brain and bring you back to the moment. Then you can try meditation or prayer which have both been proven to be beneficial for emotional and mental stability.

If you’re practicing these things and still feel like your world is in shambles, don’t worry, you don’t have to remain anxious, scared, hopeless and depressed. I can help you.
Not since World War II have our lives felt so unstable thus unsettling, anxiety filled and often depressing.
The good news is that these situations do not have to dictate your emotions. You do not have to remain anxious, hopeless, depressed or scared.

Remember you may feel alone but you aren’t alone. Many people, especially in these times, are going through your same situation. I have worked with tens of thousands of people over the past thirty years in my practice of psychotherapy. In doing so I have developed what is known as Cognitive Direct Performance Systems. This technique returns the control of your emotions, thinking and behavior to you where it belongs. No more reacting, feeling like a victim or feeling like your life is out of control.

Easy and quick to learn this technique stays with you forever. It applies to all parts of your life and empowers you to take back control. Call today for a free consultation and let’s visit further about how you can incorporate this into your life.