C19 & RE:THINKING LIFE — Keeping Calm

Are you facing heightened anxiety because of COVID19? Experienced any panic attacks? Find yourself reactive and extra-sensitive due to increased stress levels? Have you been made redundant and fear losing your home? Perhaps you are having a mental health struggle and considering your options?

Three weeks ago I made the heart-wrenching decision for my near 20yo to stay in NZ; last Friday my 17yo transitioned to be with his mum for the current week. We said goodbye acknowledging with the forecast lockdown that we may not see eachother again for a while…fingers crossed that won’t be the case! As a dad it’s a heavy load! It’s not the first time I’ve been confronted with this reality.

I’ve walked the discombobulating sensations of losing everything.

In 2007 I lost my wife (separation), family unit(2 sons), for 3 weeks lost contact with my sons, lost my job, lost my car, lost my home…and nearly lost myself. I was diagnosed and medicated for situational depression, and went through a full-blown burnout where I shut down to the point I had a 3 week black hole that I cannot remember — to say it was terrifying is an understatement.

I have learned to identify and manage the PTSD triggers over the years. Perhaps you understand and are resonating with why my historical trauma triggers have risen to the suface. :)

With the unfolding economic, employment and health crisis unfolding globally it’s a guarantee that someone you know, someone in your family, your neighbour, a colleague or friend is facing and navigating increased anxiety, stress and the body and brain’s inbuilt mechanism for facing fear — our fight, flight freeze response.

Our #amygdala responds to stimulus from our senses and triggers of feeling unsafe, insecure and stimulus that appears as ‘perceived threat’ — be it physical, emotional or psychological.

If you are experiencing heightened anxiety, overloaded with stress or feel like you wanted to get off the ferris wheel, out of the rat race, for things to slow down or for the next crisis to not come along?

But you have to #keepgoing! Urrrgh!!! For our kids sake, for our own sake.

Life has a way of throwing curve balls that cause us to feel blindsided, belittled or betrayed: be it an unexpected #redundancy, #separation, death of a loved one or #health scare it can send us into a tailspin. We feel #unsafe.

When the #waves keep crashing and you feel constantly dumped and thrown around by the turbulence, where do you go? Who do you turn to? What do you do to #createcalm amidst the swirling and circling #chaos?

Knowing how to self-regulate and bring both #psychological and #emotional #safety when you feel under attack is key to maintaining #mentalhealth and #wellbeing. But that’s easier said than done! So…

Here’s some life-saving and soul-protective tips:

1/ press pause;

2/ breathe deeply;

3/ ground yourself;

4/ take time out;

5/ grant yourself permission to slow down to process;

6/ hold your feelings with an open hand — don’t judge them;

7/ avoid making rash decisions;

8/ seek someone you trust out to simply listen (not problem solve);

9/ enjoy simple #pleasures eg #music, #coffee;

10/ take notice of #nature;

11/ contact a counsellor to sift and sort and gain clarity to make empowered choices

@anchoredforlife @counselling72 #selfcare #mentalhealth #anxiety #depression #stress #conflict #personalgrowth #recovery #timeout #mindfulness

Email: counselling@anchoredforlife.com