It’s likely over the past two years that you have been navigating huge changes that come with lockdowns, working from home, having children home, and perhaps even experiencing COVID infection at some point.
Throughout this period of time, we have seen some of the hidden strengths in humanity and our ability to withstand such difficulties. It has been amazing to observe human capacity and resilience in the face of these challenges. However, for many of us, we are stretched thin and worn down by this experience. It is important that we look after our mental health during this period of time.
COVID-19 has been a prolonged time of stress for many people and we know from research that prolonged stress and exposure to traumatic experiences that are outside of your control, can impact areas of your brain. One area of your brain that is most vulnerable to stress is your prefrontal cortex (Cook and Wellman, 2004; Holmes and Wellman, 2009; Radley et al., 2004). This part of your brain is responsible for helping you regulate your feelings and impulses, attention, your thoughts and to think flexibly and formulate goals (Arnsten et al., 2015). Stress is likely to impact on your attention, your ability to control your feelings and thoughts and on your ability to plan and to engage in goal directed behavior. You may notice that you struggle to follow through on goals, struggle to pay attention or struggle to control your moods. Anything that is going to help you to bring down your stress levels in this time may help you to move into a more adaptive, resilient space and get your pre-frontal cortex in gear with neurons firing.
Here are a few ideas I have put together to help you think about how you can bring down your stress levels over the coming weeks.
• One of the biggest sources of stress for most people is unprocessed pain. This is a time where we are all experiencing pain. There’s no easy way to come to terms with this level of difficulty. Most of this is outside of our control. But one thing we can do is to take time to absorb everything that is happening. Take time to grieve the losses that we will all face. Grieve the loss of adventure, exploration, travel, the loss of jobs and the loss of connection with others. Some losses will be more acute than others.
• Welcome your tears. Pain is only ever managed when it is respected and processed. Pain returns when it is suppressed, avoided or brushed aside.
• Take time out to process. Whether you use meditation, time in the garden, runs in the park or bubble baths- now is the time to gift yourself with extra time to breathe and refocus.
• Grapple with the loss of control, grapple with the sense of being in a liminal, in between space. Grapple with the loss of meaning you may be feeling.
• Understand that you may experience anxiety, panic attacks, days where you struggle to feel motivated and days where you struggle to lift your mood. Your brain is overwhelmed by stress and the stress is overwhelming. Sit with those feelings. Now is the time to comfort yourself and receive comfort from others.
• Make plans, engage goals, but keep them realistic. Extra pressure on yourself is not going to be your friend during a high stress time.
• Get out into nature as much as possible.
• Practice being in the moment and taking this one day at a time!
What do you use to help you reduce your stress?