Managing the daily stress in our lives can be challenging but with the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be especially difficult in this time of uncertainty and fear. If you find that your stress levels are becoming unmanageable, please reach out to a therapist for help (see Mental Health Support tab). We are living in extraordinary time – one that we have never experienced before. It is important to remember that not everyone manages stress in the same way. Subsequently, be patient with and considerate of yourself and others as well as the need for space. Below are some tools and resources that can assist you.
Practice Deep Abdominal Breathing
GETTING STARTED
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
- Take a slow, deep breath in thru your nose (count to 4), and pay attention to which hand moves.
- Exhale thru your mouth count to 4 before inhaling again
When you are breathing from your diaphragm, only the hand on the stomach should move up and down, with little movement coming from the chest. It can help to think of how babies sleep—how their stomachs quietly move up and down. Or you might imagine your stomach as a balloon, filling with air and expanding as you inhale, then letting out the air and shrinking as you exhale.
Try with Meditation
In order to help slow your thoughts and focus your attention on breathing, count your breaths as you inhale, and think “Relax,” “Calm,” or some similar thought as you exhale. Continue counting your breaths until you get to 10, and then start over at 1. It is perfectly natural for other thoughts to come into your mind. Try not to get angry or frustrated; just allow the thoughts to pass through your mind, and bring your attention back to counting as often as you need to. Some people find it helpful to concentrate mostly on the physical sensation of their breathing, others on the counting or “Relax” statement. Experiment with different methods, and do whatever works best for you.
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Self-Holding Exercise (excerpt from Heidi Hanson http://www.new-synapse.com/aps/wordpress/?p=207)
While experiencing PTSD, we may feel scattered, broken, shattered, blown apart, chaotic, fractured, or split. Our thoughts and nervousness may become overwhelming, out of control, all over the place. We may even forget we have edges. This exercise helps us feel, for the first time perhaps in years, “contained.” Peter Levine explains that, “This helps us become aware of our container. The body is the container of all of our sensations and all of our feelings; it’s all in the body.” “(This exercise) brings a “settling” feeling, (the person) feels less overwhelmed. When the person can feel the container, then the emotions and sensations do not feel as overwhelming because they are contained.”
GETTING STARTED:
- Place one hand under the opposite arm (as if cupping your armpit), and then drape the other hand over the upper part of the other arm; you are giving yourself a hug (see picture below).
- Close your eyes if you feel comfortable and take some deep breaths. Inhale slowly through your nose and exhale through your mouth – letting go of tension, anxiety, expectation, anger, uncertainty, fear with each exhale.
- Let yourself settle into the position; allow yourself to feel supported by it. Allow yourself to feel contained. Allow yourself to feel loved, nourished, secure, safe.
Photo Credit: Heidi Hanson www.new-synapse.com
https://www.mindful.org/free-mindfulness-resources-for-calm-during-covid-outbreak/
EFT Tapping
https://tapintocommunity.org/
https://www.thetappingsolutionapp.com/
Allow Space For Your Feelings
Take Walks
Get Moving
YMCA
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgBxj8BHl0M0Y6lr3rbk-_iDVWARi-EDs
https://ymca360.org/
Practice Self-Compassion
https://centerformsc.org/self-compassion-in-the-midst-of-covid-19/
Engage with Others via Videoconferencing i.e. FaceTime, Duo, Zoom, Skype
Review the Healthy Distractions tab for music, exercise, etc. options..
Stay tuned! More resources to come….
