Tips for managing emotions during the pandemic

Mental Health and the Pandemic

All of us, in some way, are being impacted by the pandemic. It’s a situation that we never ever expected to be in.

You may find yourself struggling with the pandemic and the restrictions. It’s putting a strain on many people's mental health and their ability to cope. We are being affected in ways we had never anticipated and we are having to act in ways that are unnatural to us.

As human beings, we are social creatures. In a crisis, our instincts are to pull together. Yet the virus creates a situation where we need to limit our contact with friends, family, colleagues and others. We may want to spend time with those close to us when we find ourselves struggling but we may be unable to do so. There can be something soothing in a touch or a hug but this has become something that can be risky. Many people are feeling isolated and lonely.

Change and uncertainty can also be difficult for us humans to deal with. The pandemic and lockdown have created many changes and continued uncertainty.

Then there are other issues brought about by the pandemic. From the risks to jobs to the threat of the virus itself.

It is no wonder mental health difficulties are on the rise. With many people experiencing loneliness, worry, low mood or anger, to name a few.

I thought I would write a series of blogs with suggestions for managing our emotions during this time. These tips may not necessarily resolve how you feel, as it’s perfectly natural to have a reaction to the current circumstances. However, some of these ideas may help you to cope a little easier throughout the pandemic and the lockdowns.

In addition to the suggestions below. If you are struggling to cope with the pandemic and the lockdown you might find counselling helpful. If you want to know more or book an appointment please get in contact with me.

Keep a regular routine

The pandemic has caused many of our routines to become disrupted. Having no structure may impact our sleep patterns, make it hard to start tasks and cause us to feel stressed and disorientated.

Creating a weekly schedule may help to keep some kind of structure to the day. Your schedule might include regular bedtimes, morning routines, working hours, self-care activities and so on. Some people find that having a routine can help with focus, motivation and sleep. It may also promote feelings of purpose, comfort and familiarity.

Stay connected to others

It can be challenging to stay connected with others. There are fewer group activities taking place, some people are still working from home or having to isolate themselves. Yet staying in touch with people is often beneficial to our well-being. We are fortunate that we have a variety of ways we can stay connected to others. Technology means we can use social media, email, phone, video conferencing and online gaming to interact with people outside of our household.

Video conferencing can be used to host virtual coffee mornings, for learning a new skill, doing crafts with others, watching a movie or reading stories to children. These are things that can be done with friends and family but there are also organised events that give people a chance to connect with new people.

Not everyone is comfortable with video conferencing and may prefer to chat with others on the phone or by email. The main thing is to maintain some sort of contact with others. It can become easy to shut ourselves away, especially if you are struggling with how you are feeling.

There are befriending services if you feel isolated and you are not sure who to contact.

Set yourself a task each day

Setting yourself a small task each day can help you feel as if you’ve accomplished something. This could be any task that you’ve been putting off for a while or something you enjoy and would like to do more of. Make sure you don’t set a task that is going to feel too big. You can always set a smaller goal but do more if you feel like it at the time. For example, if you wanted to clear out all the cupboards, the whole job might find it too daunting so you never get started. You may find it easier to aim for one shelf a day.

Recognise what you have achieved

It's easy to feel the day has slipped you by and nothing much has been done. Sometimes we just need days like that. However, if this is a regular occurrence and it’s impacting how you feel then you might want to work at changing this.

It’s possible you might be achieving more than you realise. Try writing a list of every task you do throughout the day, however small that task seems. It’s easy to discount the small jobs. Then at the end of the day review your list. You might be surprised by how much you have actually done.

If you’re struggling to get out of bed in the morning may be that in itself is a huge achievement and worth recognising.

If on reviewing your list and you feel you have very little on there it might be worth visiting the suggestion above on setting yourself a daily task.

Spend Time Outdoors

This is my personal favourite activity for self-care. Getting fresh air, daylight and connecting with nature I find works as my emotional reset switch. I can definitely feel the difference between the days I’ve spent some time outside versus the days I haven’t. I believe that being outdoors can be a great way to boost our mood.

Getting outside is not an easy task if you feel low or if the weather is bad. I find wearing layers and having a full set of waterproofs helps. If you're feeling low and find it hard to get out maybe start by setting your goal small. Even spending some time at your doorstep may help.

If you’re not able to get outdoors even spending time looking out of a window or watching nature programs can be beneficial according to research.

I’ve previous written a blog on getting outdoors. Some of it won’t apply during a lockdown due to the current restrictions. However, there may be aspects of this blog you find helpful.

Reduce exposure to the news

The news can add to feelings of anxiety and impact our mood. Whilst you may feel the need to be aware of the ongoing situation it’s about limiting how much of this you expose yourself to. Figure out how much news is helpful for you and at what point it becomes unhelpful then set yourself a daily limit. For me, I will look at the news highlights for ten minutes twice a day. It’s enough for me to feel I know what is going on without becoming overwhelmed by it. You might find it helpful to follow the news with a positive task e.g. going for a walk or a relaxation exercise.

Journaling

Writing out our thoughts and feelings can be a great way to make sense of things. Journaling can also help to release emotions, increase our self-awareness and to come up with creative solutions to problems.

If you want to know more you might want to read my blog on ‘How to start a reflective journal for wellbeing’

Get creative

Being creative doesn’t require any special talent or skill. If you can pick up a pencil and draw a squiggle, if you can beat a drum or if you can splash paint onto a page, then you can be creative. There are many ways to express ourselves through creative means e.g. painting, dancing, crafting, etc.

Many people are taught from a young age that their artistic attempts are either not good enough or not valued. So we stop doing it. Yet being creative can be a useful form of self-care regardless of skill.

I’ve written a couple of blogs on the benefits of embracing our creative selves and creative art and craft ideas.

Learn a new skill

This fits in with some of the other suggestions. Learning a new skill can bring about a sense of achievement or purpose to your day. There are many free or low-cost courses out there at the moment on a wide variety of topics.

I’ve recently started to learn to draw from books. I’m not a great artist but drawing gives me the ability to focus on being in the moment, it stills my thoughts, it satisfies the creative side of me and gives me a sense that I’ve achieved something.

Practice gratitude

Gratitude can be a powerful tool during difficult times. It’s easy to become focused on what we’re missing out on or how things were before the pandemic and to forget about the things we actually do have.

A gratitude practice can be as simple as writing three things you're grateful for at the end of each day. Gratitude doesn’t have to be for huge things. Yesterday my gratitude list included, speaking to a friend online, enjoying my favourite chocolate bar and being entertained by a good book.

If you want to know more about the practice of gratitude you might want to visit my blog called ‘The practice of gratitude during the pandemic’.

Anger

You may feel anger in response to the current situation. We are often taught from a young age that anger is a ‘bad’ emotion. Or as children, we had adults model anger in ways that were not helpful. Anger is a natural emotion just as joy or sadness is. It’s part of the human experience.

Anger can be a helpful or unhelpful emotion depending on how we express it. Anger can help us to stand up for ourselves, for others and for social justice. Yet anger can become a problem if it’s expressed in ways that are harmful to yourself or others.

I’ve written a series of blogs on anger and anger management

Be kind to yourself

Recognise that what you’re feeling is a natural response to what is going on right now. Try not to beat yourself up for how you are feeling, for not having achieved enough, for not being the perfect partner/family member/parent. These are difficult times. If we can just be with our emotions and be kind to ourselves it can help to make things feel more manageable. If we add being annoyed with ourselves or frustrated it’s adding extra challenging emotions to how we are already feeling. Some people find Mindfulness can be a useful tool for accepting how we currently feel.

Counselling

If you’re having difficulties managing your emotions, struggling to make sense of the pandemic and the impact it’s had or having on you then therapy might be able to help. If you have any questions about counselling or you’d like to book an appointment please get in contact with me at info@melaniehudson.co.uk, 07754119506 (leaving a VM or text message) or by the contact form on the home page or by following the ‘contact me’ button below.