“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti
We’ve been playing on hard mode ever since March of 2020. With every year, it seems like we have more and more tragedies getting heaped on each other, to the point that sometimes it feels hard to take a breath. It’s not like the time prior to 2020 was a cakewalk, either. Let’s talk about some ways you can be sure you’re taking care of yourself during difficult times.
- Make sure you’re taking care of your body. Be mindful about what you eat. If you’re too emotionally exhausted to cook, get healthy-ish takeout, delivery, or freezer meals rather than fast food.
- Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Plan to put your phone down at a certain time. You won’t help anyone by being too exhausted to think in the morning.
- Limit your access to the news and social media as needed. When you start feeling overwhelmed, take a break. Do something else. Clean your house, make food, call a friend, go on a walk, do something that relaxes you. Try some easy-to-moderately challenging puzzles or games to gently focus your mind on something else.
- Give yourself space and permission to grieve. It’s okay to compartmentalize to get you through a work day. It’s also okay to have a cry at your desk at lunch, or beg off a meeting for the book club you volunteered to join, or take a mental health day. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself.
- Connect with people you care about. Especially if you’re feeling isolated and hopeless. Get support, talk about how you’re feeling, check in with your loved ones. You can even talk to someone and ask to just stick to casual subjects to try to feel some normalcy and come up for air from your grief for a few minutes.
- Think about your values and past experiences. Maybe this is impacting you because you have a strong sense of justice, or helping others, or fairness, or doing what is “right”. Maybe you’ve had personal experiences that have helped to shape how you think or feel about what’s happening. Think about how it makes sense for you to feel so strongly about what’s happening around you. Validate your experience: “It makes sense that I’m feeling this way because…”
- Give yourself the support you need. What would you say to a child or to a friend who was having a hard time? How do you wish your parent would have comforted you as a child? Give yourself that same support. Talk gently to yourself and go easy on yourself for the next few days. What do you need?
- When feeling helpless, turn to committed action. This is happening, this is real. It’s not okay that it’s happening, but it’s happening all the same. What kind of action would make you feel as if you are acting in line with your values? What is in your control to do? What is a committed action you could take that is in line with your strengths, interests, or resources?
- As Mr. Rogers once said, look for the helpers. Mr. Rogers famously told a story about his own mother comforting him when he saw scary things in the news. “Look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping.”
There is no magic cure for the profoundly tragic things that happen in the world. Having someone to walk with you can help you feel less alone. A therapist can help you to make space for your thoughts and feelings. Reach out for support today.
Find balance, feel at peace. Reach out and connect with an Austin EMDR Therapist today.
