Anyone that doesn't feel a degree of stress now hasn't been paying attention. It's like we've been hit with the seven plagues: virus, economic hardship, fire, hurricane, and threats to our democracy. That's not seven, but that's more than enough!!
If you go to visit a doctor today, one of the first questions they will ask is how you are feeling emotionally. For most, the answer is that they're feeling anxious much of the time. If you're not worried about the election and a peaceful transition of power or continuation of power, you've got plenty of other issues to worry about. Raging fires in the west like we've never seen before, hurricanes in the south and southeast that are destroying towns, and as if that weren't enough, the possibility of a woman's right to choose moving us BACK, instead of forward and health care being taken away from over 10 million people at the height of a pandemic with no substitute in sight and oh, how about protesting in the streets over the killing of unarmed black men and women? I offer no solutions to any of these issues, but I do have a few ideas on how to keep calm, how to keep sane.
1. Turn off the TV!! Hour upon hour of watching these events play out in front of you is not good for your mental health. I try (not always successfully) to keep my consumption of news to 3 hours a day.
2. Take a walk. I walk 4 times a day because my dog needs to go out, but even without a dog, a good walk in the morning and a good walk at night is good to clear your mind.
3. Meditate. I listen to a podcast called Daily Breath, by Deepak Chopra. Each meditation is from 3-10 minutes, and just listening to it, being still, and focusing on his voice is very therapeutic for me.
4.Read and watch books and movies that are uplifting. Where I used to read books and watch movies that would entertain and teach, I am now looking for entertainment that is just for fun. Any suggestions?
5. Call a friend. I was out for dinner recently with friends, and we were talking about to stay connected during Covid-19. Charlene told us about a 90+ year old friend of hers that every week, went through her address book and called people she hadn't talked to in a while. They were always delighted to hear from her, and she felt so good about making the call. Ron used to do the same thing. At least once a week he would call a few of his friends just to see how they were. He did this up until two weeks before he died.
6. Get involved in a project. My project has been cleaning out my closets, rearranging furniture and straightening the garage. Others my sort old photos, do small repair projects around the house, cook, do puzzles, learn an instrument or another language. There's a whole world of things to do out there, even if you're home. Involvement in a project helps take your mind of the current situation.
7. Talk to someone. Hopefully you have someone you can talk to, tell your hopes and fears to. A brother or sister or a good friend will work. If you don't have someone call your doctor, rabbi or priest and get a referral. Everyone needs someone to talk to during this time.
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