Have you figured out your new stay-at-home routine, or is it challenging just to get through the day? Not seeing friends, family and coworkers can be a struggle, and even a routine trip to the grocery store can be scary. With all these worries, it’s tough to stay positive.
Erin Bircher
Erin Bircher, a counselor and owner of Foundations 4 Change, says it’s important to remember that we are all in this together, and everyone is trying to figure it out. All we can control is how we respond to the changes in our daily lives and look forward to the future.
“We need to give ourselves grace during this extremely stressful time,” she said.
In addition, Bircher offers these eight practical tips to keep your spirits up during the pandemic.
- Talk about it.
It’s important that you talk about what is going on and how it’s affecting you. Seeking comfort can provide a sense of security during these scary times.
2. Think positively.
Find positive things from your past that have brought you comfort, and try to incorporate them into your current world.
3. Let it go.
When we don’t have control over things, it can make people feel powerless and unstable. Identify what you do have control over and what you don’t.
4. Be social (with a distance).
Stay connected to family or friends that you have a healthy, positive relationship with via video, online chats or by playing games.
5. Stay focused.
Our brain cannot do two things at once, so if you are engaging in one thing, it will help minimize the anxiety spiral from escalating.
6. Be realistic.
Evaluate your personal expectations and possibly lower them during this time. When we don’t meet our expectations, we get disappointed.
7. Reflect.
Take personal time for reflection. Explore and reflect on what you can live without, what you struggle living without the most, what you really need in life, what matters to you most, how busy life was before, who you miss seeing the most, what you miss doing the most and what you need more of going forward. Sometimes forced change helps create the most awareness.
Research has shown that poor mental health can be detrimental to our physical health. It’s extremely important to not just take care of physical health, but also your mental health. Go for walks outside, if possible. Be in nature.
Excellent advice for coping mechanisms to help us deal with an unprecedented situation in our society. With the help of God, we will get through this and will be stronger in ways we did not imagine were possible.
Mrs. Bircher,
Thank you so much for your helpful tips. I would love to learn more about what you do in foundations 4 Change. You are a very intelligent and insightful person. Keep up the great work!
Sincerely
Julie Thurston