Re-Connecting with Life: Creating a New Normal Beyond the Pandemic Lockdown
It's Not Over Yet! However, We Can Increase Our Calm and Coping Skills.
It is summer, many of us are vaccinated and the world is re-opening. So, it feels like the world has conquered the pandemic and we are getting back to the normal we knew. Not just yet! Currently, we are seeing a surge of the Delta variant of Covid-19, clearly reminding us that there is still a real threat to our health and safety.
This continued threat is wearing on our patience and making us fatigued. It is very easy to delude ourselves; bury our heads in the sand; and simply ignore the troubling reality. This situation also saddens and angers many of us. So, out of defiance, some of us have chosen to ignore the ongoing threat. As re-opening is occurring, many of us are also struggling with anxiety about whether we will be safe and healthy.
It is important that we recognize and manage our emotions, so they will not overwhelm or misguide us. In order to effectively manage our emotions, it is critical that we get in control (not try to control), instead of allowing distressing emotions to control us.
Let's use my paradigm, Acknowledge, Assess and Address to help get in control of our emotions in a healthy manner. This enables us to adjust to the reality of this period of transition in the midst of challenge.
Acknowledge: It's okay that we allow ourselves to feel our troubling emotions. If we are saddened, scared, frustrated, mentally fatigued by this experience it makes sense. By acknowledging that we are in distress, we can now take the initial steps toward developing coping strategies and functioning in a healthy manner. Validating our experience enables us to re-claim our happiness.
Assess: It is important that we determine how we are doing in the face of our emotional distress related to the pandemic experience. In what ways have we been impacted, positively or negatively as the result of the pandemic lockdown?
Address: It starts with healthy attitudes toward our experiences. We can determine how we wish to feel and aim to get there. In general, the more we embrace and aspire to experience positive emotions, the healthier we can be. Here are some useful strategies:
Adopt and practice positive thinking, such as:
Hope: We can see the possibility of things getting better.
Joy: We can find and engage with those things we enjoy.
Empowerment: When we recognize and do what we realistically can, we can feel capable, confident and good about ourselves. Let's seek ways we can improve our ability to transition into the re-opening world, while recognizing and accepting what we cannot control.
Positivity: Focus on the positive, instead of dwelling on the negative. Let's see some of the "silver linings" and positive outcomes of the pandemic experience (i.e. new revelations; increased comfort with virtual platforms;
Compassion toward self: Let's accept ourselves and feel deserving of good things and good treatment, despite our shortcomings. Let's forgive ourselves and exercise patience for our mistakes or ways we did not live up to our best expectations.
Compassion toward others: Let's recognize the worth of others and engage in mutual, positive interactions. We can practice generosity, kindness and consideration as we continue to cope and transition toward a new normal.
For more information about Dr. Diane Kern's emotional wellness programs, visit:
www.HappyandHealthyU.com
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