October is Emotional Wellness Month
I hope you are all enjoying the Fall, whether it’s the beautiful Fall leaves on the East Coast and Canada to the gorgeous warm days on the West Coast.
October is Emotional Wellness month, which means it’s a time to take stock of our stress levels and determine if we need to make some changes in our lives to reduce the amount of stress we feel. The pandemic has created a tremendous amount of stress on our mental health. So, I want to share with you a few areas where you can start to evaluate your stress levels:
1. The Obvious: The Pandemic.
How is the pandemic affecting your life? We have been through (and still going through) one of the most difficult times of our lives. As you reflect on these last 7 months we must acknowledge how hard it has been, because IT HAS BEEN HARD. And it’s ok to admit that it’s been hard. It has been overwhelming, either by having to keep your fridge fully stocked to put 3 meals on the table every day or you are working from home with your whole family around, kids throwing tantrums or screaming in the background, all while you are giving one of your biggest presentations. Some of you may be sitting with your children during their school zoom calls and having to keep them on task.
Some days we feel like we are barely keeping our heads above water. Even the thing we probably most take for granted - being able to see and hug family members and friends, causes mental stress for us. We have had to dig deep to get through these months. So, I’m going to keep it simple here and share one way that can help you cope: remember the things that you are grateful for.
These Fall months are typically a time for gratitude and thanks, but practicing gratitude is a really difficult thing to do when the chips are down and you are in a funk that you can’t get out of. Studies have shown that a regular practice of gratitude shifts the chemicals in our brains that helps us to feel good. And when practiced before going to bed, those thoughts of gratitude and thanks, seep into our subconscious, overnight. Try to list or say 3 things you are grateful for on a daily basis for 2 weeks. Then take stock again, assess how you feel. Through regular practice, gratitude can start to become just part of what you do and who you are that helps you to get through these tough times with a positive attitude.
2. Take Back Control of Your Phone
Have you ever used the screen time calculator on your phone to see how much time you spend in each app, from News to social media platforms to notifications? In our digital world, the amount of time we spend on our phones is increasing and the amount of news we are consuming in this time of the pandemic and an upcoming federal election is growing exponentially. Evidence shows that apps, whether they are text messaging, social media platforms or streaming apps, are designed to keep us engaged with them. They pull us in with likes, notifications, typing bubbles, and playing the next episode before we have time to turn it off. So, before we know it we are sucked in to the next episode. These services are adversely affecting our mental health. Not only is it really difficult for our children, it is really difficult for us as adults to take control of our devices and our screens. As Oprah says, don’t let your phone own you, take back control of your phone.
Here are a few tips you can use to Reclaim your Time from the Center of Humane Technology:
i) Turn off Notifications. Notifications are the beeps and buzzes that release that dopamine in our brains, when someone has texted, liked, or responded to us. Even the red badge indicating how many notifications you have is a visual trigger that instantly draws our attention.
ii) Set Boundaries. Take control of when you start to engage with your phone in the morning.
Set blocks of time in the morning or before bed without technology
Make it a rule that there are no devices at the dinner table
Create a shared charging station where all devices are charged overnight away from bedrooms
Use a separate alarm clock to wake in the morning. Or if you must have your phone by your bedside, set a Do Not Disturb time limit until you are ready to engage with your phone
Engage in a device-free day once per week or once per month and assess your mental state before and after.
These practices will give you a tremendous amount of relief in your life. If you are interested in learning more about how to take back control, visit the Center for Humane Technology.
3. Connect with Friends and Family
Friends, family and even co-workers play an immense role in our emotional health. They improve our social well-being by keeping us connected. We, humans, like to feel part of a community, we thrive on social interactions. So, without them, we feel isolated, lonely and depressed. Some ways to ensure you are seeing people, is to block your calendar to walk/hike/get together with friends or family on a weekly basis. Zoom can never replace in-person interaction, but a regular zoom call with family who live far away can also be a way to lift your spirits. We have figured out safe ways to see our loved ones, so be sure to get out and be part of your community again.
It’s more important now than ever before to find ways to reduce our stress and feed our emotional well-being. So, take the time to consider what your biggest stressors are and the best ways to cope with them.