Take a minute to check in and release some pressure
This blog is a gift, a chance to take 15 minutes out to check in with yourself and make a plan for how you can feel less pressured and more energized as we find our ability to cope with the second wave of COVID-19.
A big part of being emotionally healthy is having the capacity to cope with the pressures you face each day, so what do you do if … I don’t know… a global pandemic both increases the pressure you are facing and dents your capacity to cope. Lets be honest, we are all less able to do the things you used to do to build our energy and emotional reserves.
Recent research by the Mental Health Foundation supports this observation indicating that there has been a slow decline since April in the populations’ ability to cope with the stress of the pandemic from 73% to 64% in late August.
Even with the lighter restrictions on social connection and movement in August and infection rates that were being reported as ‘under control’ in the UK, almost half (45%) of the UK population reported feeling anxious or worried in the previous two weeks.
So what can we do to support ourselves and others in managing the pressure-cooker
Acknowledge the pressure– If you asked the version of yourself from last October how they would cope in a world were they had kept life on track in a world with working from home, schooling from home and no way to get your roots done – they really wouldn’t have anticipated that you could have done as well as you have.
Take a minute to acknowledge the pressures you have already navigated and those you still face.
Our pressures have the best chance of overwhelming us when we ignore them. Lets make a list of the things that are depleting your time and energy at the moment.
Here is the start my list for inspiration:
· House move paperwork
· The idea of packing a whole beeping house
· Worry that our little could be unexpectedly sent home to isolate from nursery at any time
· Health risk concerns from weekly contact with the Sheffield student population and new baby baking
· The continued isolation of my elderly parents and in-laws
· The continued success of my business in economic uncertainty to come (obvs while moving to a new house)
Sometimes something has to give – when we ignore our pressures many of us will instinctively dig in to try and move through them, rather than pausing to question whether there is anything we can let go of. I’m a big sinner of this, I even do it at the gym, finding myself speeding up my pace on the treadmill even when I’ve committed to doing a specific amount of time. It means I just end up running harder and further for the same amount of time.
So bearing that in mind, lets slow the treadmill a minute, and look at how we can deal with our pressures in a way that fits with what we can currently handle. Look at your list, what can you influence to shift the pressure and how.
· House move paperwork - stop avoiding it and get it done – today is the day
· The idea of packing a whole blooming house – break it down into chunks, make a list of different areas you want to clear and sort and do a little everyday
· Worry that our little could be unexpectedly sent home to isolate from nursery at any time – remember that the whole country are experiencing the same thing, clients will understand if a) a toddler sings ‘twinkle twinkle little star’ to them during a meeting B) your have to re-arrange
· Health risk concerns from weekly contact with the Sheffield student population - speak to your client and get back to doing online assessment, in the meantime, buy more hand gel
· The continue isolation of my elderly parents and in-laws – resurrect family skype Sunday and think about how you can pull off a remote Christmas Dinner
· The continued success of my business in economic uncertainty to come (obvs while moving house) – look back at your sums, you made an informed decision, so you need to put that worry in the irrelevant pile
Build Energy – We often don’t acknowledge the impact that losing the things we had built in our routine to nurture our energy levels and emotional health has had on us. Or it may be that we mourn them, without considering what we could do as an alternative to replace them.
Next step – think about your energy builders, what are the types of things that fill up your tank? What can you do to get a hit of some of things, and where do you need to be creative to access those things in our current context? My energy builders:
· See the trees – I need a hit of nature and if I can, the added bonus of watching my 2 years old running down muddy hills laughing his socks off.
· Climb a hill – there is something about looking down as where I’ve climbed from that makes me feel calm and connected to things bigger than my day-to-day pressures,
· Feel in control – My mega to do list is drafted and prioritised, with a rough plan of when the urgent and critical things will be done over the next week. This helps me feel confident in my ability to do what I need to.
· Create something – for me this normally means cook for enjoyment rather than necessity or baking something delicious
Once you’ve explored your energizers commit to doing one or two things for you as starting point. Doing something that makes you happy is often the first step towards re-setting the balance.
I’d love to hear what steps you are taking to manage the pressures and build the joy in your life at the moment.
