Yesterday, October 10th, was World Mental Health Day, part of the World Health Organization’s campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world.
2020 has been a rough year because we are battling a worldwide pandemic that has caused a lot of fear, uncertainty, and disruption to our normal routines.
Most of us want to do things to make ourselves feel better. The problem is that we choose to do the wrong things. I have seen this first hand as a Bach Flower Registered Practitioner.
When times get rough, we think we should just eat something unhealthy, or go inward and avoid people, or just abandon ourselves on the couch and watch television. However, in case you do not know, there are better and more effective ways to cope.
Exercise is one way to enhance our wellbeing: We do not think of exercise as a form of coping skill. We think of it as a tool to improve our bodies. Half hour of cardio could be better than a prescription of an anxiolytic.
Taking some time for gratitude: Happy people tend to think spontaneously on the good things of life. Simply pay attention to the things in your life that you are grateful for. Daily writing down 3 things you are grateful for can improve your wellbeing in just two weeks.
Getting a good night sleep: Get rid of technology before bed and get enough sleep.
Get social: Happy people prioritize time with friends and family. The simple act of being with other people and chatting with friends can make you feel better. Try to do Zoom meetings with family members once a week and fun Zoom nights with friends.
Sometimes to cope we need to be with our emotions: Usually, we want to run from our sadness, our anxiety, etc. However, we can not run from our emotions and it is much worse if we suppress them. There is a meditation called RAIN. That stands for Recognize, Accept, Investigate, and Nurture.
How it works: If you see something in the news that makes you feel unsettled. You take a moment to Recognize it. Just realize that you do not like what you saw/heard.
Then, you process that emotion, and you accept that that is the way you feel.
After that, investigate how that emotion feels inside you. Does it make your chest tight, does your head hurt, do you feel dizzy? Sometimes, if you can see how it feels in your body, you can take some weight away.
Finally, nurture yourself. Feel compassion for yourself. Usually, we punish ourselves when we feel bad. Instead of doing that, think how you would help a friend or a young child who is going through that same emotion. Visualize how that would look like and do that for yourself.
It is an extremely useful technique. Especially this year 2020 in which we are all experiencing so many negative emotions.
I hope you enjoy these tips and techniques to enjoy a blissful life. If you are still struggling with negative emotional states, go ahead and book a consultation at BachFlowerBliss.com
Have a wonderful day!
Image by Mary Pahlke from Pixabay.