You’ve probably heard this more times than you can count, but it’s true. We are all struggling.
I’m gonna be real. I’ve been struggling. You’re probably tired of listening and reading about the pandemic, but we have to admit that it has taken a huge toll on people’s mental health, including my own. We are almost two years in and, at least in FL, it is continuously getting worse. Even though I have been able to adjust and adapt to the new risks that have taken over my life I am still facing mental, physical, and emotional challenges. All of which I thought I had under control. Until this past weekend.
Due to some new stressors in my life, plus the old ones that haven’t gone away, it became too much to handle. I spent the whole weekend in tears. On top of that, I was working 12 hours shifts the entire time.
Never had I experienced such emotional distress before. I was in such a fragile state, that anything made me sob; even people just trying to encourage me or trying to share a joke would bring me to tears.
I share all this to say that you are not alone. Yes, this is our new normal, but it is still stressful, and it is still mentally and emotionally draining. You do not need to act like everything is okay because it is not, but even though it isn’t okay, that doesn’t mean we should just let it be or ignore it until it is gone.
If you know that you are struggling, you need to deal with it before it blows up in your face.
Here are my recommendations. Please remember I am not a professional, these are just things that have worked for me.
Cry:
Yes, cry. Let it all out. Let your body physically expel all of that emotion that you are feeling. After you’ve had a good cry not only will you feel better, but you’ll be more at ease.
Breathe:
Take a deep breath through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Let your body relax and not be as tense. When you’re breathing, just try to focus on that. Be conscious of the feeling of your lungs expanding, forgetting all of that which burdens you at this time. Think of breathing as a pause where you get to relieve the stress for a few minutes until you’re ready to get back in it.
Journal:
This is another great way of letting those feelings out. Maybe you’re not much of a crier and maybe meditating isn’t your thing. This is the one for you. Being able to write your emotions, events, memories etc can help you unload. Move things from your mind to the paper, have a conversation with yourself. Journaling can allow you to keep track of your mental and emotional progress. Through this you can assess situations in a new way.
Disconnect, just for a second, or for however long you may need:
Sometimes being constantly connected to your problems, to social media etc. can have a worse effect on us, so disconnect for a little. Put the phone down and watch something on tv, or read something, maybe focus on one of your hobbies for a few hours. The goal is to, for a moment, forget about what is happening and just enjoy an activity. After doing this you’ll feel more equipped to face your troubles. My personal favorite is sleeping.
Talk to someone, preferably a professional if they are available to you:
Human interaction is one of the most beautiful things, in my opinion. Being able to talk to someone, especially about how you are feeling and have them listen, care, and share advice is so comforting. It makes you feel less alone, less invisible. It makes you feel like what you are going through has a level of relatability. It’s not just you that has maybe experienced something like this, so if you have the chance? Talk it out.
The list could go on with tips on how to cope with emotional distress or regular stressful things in life, but these by far have to be my top picks.
Remember you are not alone and you don’t have to go through anything alone. That’s the beauty in having more than one human being on this earth.