Not really being the "singing in the shower" type (because I can't sing and I am mortified of upsetting the neighbours), I generally let YouTube do its thing while I am in the shower! Listening to Avril Lavigne, who it seems has made a comeback from obscurity with her song "Warrior" - the lyrics resonate with their never give up, never give in vibe!
This got me thinking…
May is the month for Mental Health Awareness and has been observed in the US since 1949; this year of 2020 has presented everyone with their own share of challenges, mentally setting the stage within the landscape of a pandemic. While we are all focused on maintaining our physical wellbeing and trying to keep the community alive by keeping in touch with fellow humans, have we paid enough attention to our emotional wellbeing?
Our emotional wellbeing affects how we feel, think, respond and overall, how we behave, thereby touching the facets of decision making and stress management, right up to our relationships with others. It becomes vital that we introspect and understand our emotional state, in a bid to be kind to ourselves!
Take a moment of calm, to retrospect:
Have you been finding it difficult to concentrate as of late?
Do you feel that you are struggling with thoughts slowing down, like a drop in processing speed?
Are you struggling with motivation and energy dips?
Have you been feeling constantly down for a while?
Are you trying to deal with issues concerning food and sleep?
Trying to combat the feeling of guilt or worthlessness?
Now, feeling sad, upset, and isolated during lockdown is normal and classed as everyday human feelings. However, if these feelings are keeping us from our daily functions, we need to pay more heed and do more to consciously lift ourselves out of this place, and not linger in a state of self-doubt!
COVID-19 is a life event we never signed up for and has the best of us feeling cooped up, and all of us with cabin fever! However, in this CRISIS, we must overcome and view this as a part of our journey. Considering that we as a human race have been through many plagues over the course of History and we yet again overcome and emerge stronger than we started out!
Being proactive and preventing yourself from emotional overwhelm is essential and can be done quite easily. How? By going with the flow, living in the moment, and really focusing on the now. Here are helpful ways of consciously focusing on the moment:
Carve out a morning routine, create a ritual that works for you, to start out the day in a planned and positive way that you don't need to overthink:
This can include a tea/coffee start by a window
A few moments of meditation to focus on your breathing
Thinking of 3 things to inspire gratitude
Consciously leave behind the baggage of yesterday; the issues of yesterday may exist, but it is important not to carry the emotions from yesterday into the present day
Tell yourself firmly that you are in control of your life, and every day is a fresh chance at being successful!
Understand and remember that a positive overview and attitude towards a situation has a positive effect on outcomes as well
Practice mindfulness and flex your brain muscle – Mindfulness is the best brain exercise!
Move yourself – physically, a few stretches or star jumps can reset your perspective as well
Watch for the negatives that creep into your Mindspace and arrest them immediately! The moment you START to feel bogged down, consciously work on shifting the vibe! With your favourite playlist, calling a friend…the trick is to figure out how you function and work out the quick fix you need to arrest a negative downturn even before it begins!
Here is a video that can help: 7 Ways to Detox Your Emotional Well Being
YouTube play’s on….Kelly Clarkson is belting out…
I realize…..we now have ample time on our hands to really focus on working on ourselves, and honestly, it is the best project of all:
Understand how you react to situations and how your emotions manifest themselves. Do your feelings of frustration manifest as anger?
If you are able to talk about your emotions: great! If not, take up journaling: the objective is to find a healthy way of expressing your feelings!
Remember challenges reoccur in your life until the lesson is learned - adopt that mindset of what has not killed you has just made you stronger
Let go of the past; don't carry around excess baggage. If you learned a lesson from a difficult time, carry the lesson with you but let go of the emotion
Develop a healthy resilience, but know that even the most resilient of us need a breather
Commit to a cause that is bigger than you that you can contribute to positively
Know that you have GOT THIS!!!
"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived. But if faced with courage, need not be lived again" - Maya Angelou
Further down on my playlist, James Blunt's newest track plays…
Inspiring us to get up and make a change, it can be on a large scale in committing to a cause, or by stating out a DIY on practicing mindfulness! The thing is, we must not let life pass us by. We need to dive in and live it! Dealing with messy emotions overcoming them builds a better version of YOU! We need to be the change – we can be the greatest!
There is no time like the present – seize it!