Keeping Your Cool In These Stressful Times

This is a stressful time, but my feeling is the Covid-19 pandemic has happened in our world for a reason. It is has been making us take a real long look at what is most important in life. It has been teaching us to not take our daily lives and our loved ones for granted.

The situation has been causing tremendous stress for many of us and has been challenging many relationships. And some of us are dealing better with it than others. If you have been struggling too, then there are some simple self-care strategies that could be helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed by a situation at home.

Start by holding some space for yourself, by carving out some time to just be by yourself, even it is just an hour. Use this time to do whatever makes you happy. If it means doing absolutely nothing, that is fine too! Having some ‘alone time’ helps to declutter your mind, improve your mood and restore your sense of self. If you cannot find peace at home, then go for a walk, or just go get cup of coffee somewhere nearby.

Meditation or quiet contemplation is a wonderful tool to gain a sense of calm and clarity. Take a moment to reflect on whatever may be bothering you, and try to gain a new perspective on the situation. There are always more than one side to a situation, and many tensions and conflicts can be resolved with cool heads and calm discussions.

Keep calm because pain makes you stronger, fear makes you braver, and heartbreak makes you wiser ~ Ritu Ghatourey

When a situation becomes unusually hard to deal with, it is sometimes best to remove yourself from the stressful situation.  If you feel like you have nowhere to go, try to gain at least some minimum physical distance or space. Go to another room, or step outside for a while, to help calm the situation down. It is always best to remove yourself from a toxic situation, rather than escalating the situation.

If you need to leave permanently, then that is something you need to start looking at more seriously, and begin to plan for it. Take a step back and reflect on your life, and if it is time to make changes, then do it.

Seek professional counseling if you feel the need. There is no shame in this. Having professional support can be a very productive, healing option. Therapy can give you sense of the bigger picture of the situation that you might have never thought of before.

Know that you are not alone in this, and we will get through it in time. There are better days ahead, just you wait and see! Until then, do the best you can with what you have. You are much stronger than you may think. And you have your guides and angels on your side.