Stress is always best alleviated by a way to solve the problem or worry that has initiated the stress, however, we are now left with uncertainty as to how to do that.

SOCIAL ISOLATION IS STRESS-INDUCING

Social isolation, requires of us during this pandemic, compounds the anxiety as we humans, just as most other species of animals, typically turn to each other when we feel afraid. In fact, being isolated goes squarely against animal instinct in the time of stress and fear. Gathering into groups is an instinctual, protective mechanism that all animals share. When presented with a potential threat, any species of animal will group together because, as the old adage says, “There is safety in numbers.”

Additionally, we need to be able to process what we are observing and feeling and doing so, while receiving or giving kind, physical touch can release valuable endorphins and oxytocin which are hormones that induce a sense of well-being, soothing a jangled nervous system.

Yet, we’ve been asked to shelter in place, something required to reduce the rate at which people are infected, thereby avoiding overwhelming first responders and hospitals. So, it is a mechanism that is both life-saving and counter-instinctual.

Stress shows up in both psychological and physical symptoms.

 

FOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS of STRESS and WAYS TO OVERCOME THEM

Loss of enjoyment

Step away from the stressful stimuli in your environment and make time for yourself. Remember the things you love to do and allow yourself be playful. Watch a comedy or play a game with people around you. Start engaging in what you used to enjoy, even if you don’t necessarily feel like it and you will find that those things still bring you pleasure

Loss of motivation

Remember that the more you procrastinate the things that are necessary to do, the more anxiety you will feel as they pile up. Set aside segments of time throughout each day to tend to the things that you dread doing. Don’t feel you have to get them all done at once.

Difficulty concentrating or remembering things

Set alarms on your phone or write notes to yourself as you go along.

ii. Be mindful of where your thoughts go so that you aren’t going off into the

weeds of worry and regret. Stay in present moment.

Sadness, anger or irritability

Stop to examine the things about which you feel sad, angry or irritable. Ask yourself “Can I change it?” If you can’t change it, practice letting it go. While grief in times like these is normal, try not to overwhelm yourself with the images and reports of sad things happening in the world. This is just a part of self-care.

SIX PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS of STRESS

1) Changes in sleep patterns

i. Be sure to keep a regular sleep schedule

ii. Avoid caffeine after 2pm

iii. Avoid drinking alcohol

iv. Set aside about an hour to prepare to bedtime

Turn off television, computer and get off your phone

Take a warm shower or bath

Have a cup of Chamomille tea

Do something relaxing such as reading or listening to soothing music

Melatonin is a good, natural sleep aid

Magnesium Oxide is also good for sleep, restless legs and digestive health

 

2) Muscle tension leading to back, neck and head pain

Take several 5 minute breaks each day, practice relaxing all of your muscles in your body, beginning in your feet and working your way up your legs, into your torso, back, shoulders and neck. Breathe deep and slow, imagining all of the tension flowing out your fingers and toes with each breath you exhale.

Notice when you are hunching your shoulders or tensing your back muscles and be cautious to practice good posture.

Find time each day to get some exercise, even if it’s just to do jumping jacks or running in place or walking around the block. Moving your body goes a long way toward relieving tension.

3) Fatigue

Regular sleep patterns

ii. take 5 minutes, three times/day to sit in a quiet space, relax your muscles

and clear your mind while breathing slowly and deeply.

4) Changes in appetite

Make a point of eating regular meals of healthy foods in healthy portions

Avoid comfort foods

Set reminders to eat, if you tend toward under eating

5) Gastrointestinal discomfort

Practice mindful eating. Slow your breath and take time to taste your food.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day

Minimize carbohydrate and salt intake

Eat 3 meals/day and be careful to limit the portions, then have 2 snacks of protein or fruit between breakfast and lunch and then between lunch and dinner.

6) Dry Mouth

i. Keep a bit of hard candy to suck on to keep the saliva going in your mouth
Drink plenty of water (Did I say that already?)

 

7) Rapid heartbeat or palpitations

Not to be repetitive, but again, slow your breathing and relax your muscles, this will tell your body there is no need to pump blood to your muscles to flee or fight.

Shortness of breath

Did I mention slow, deep breathing?

OTHER COPING STRATEGIES

STAY CONNECTED with people whom you trust and love, in whatever way you can while staying safe and social distancing.

EXERCISE each day, preferably getting your heart rate into an aerobic range for 20 minutes or so. This helps to discharge the anxiety through physical means and metabolizes adrenaline that has been produced during times of stress.

CREATE each day.

ENGAGE with a therapist or psychiatrist. Counseling, such as CBT can be helpful to show you where you may be overthinking or catastrophizing. Medications may be helpful, but AVOID BENZODIAZEPINES, such as Valium, Xanax, Klonopin and Ativan!

AVOID EXPOSURE to stressful subjects

AVOID ALCOHOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES! These will deplete the stores of good neurotransmitters and increase anxiety and depression.

And lastly, if you feel you cannot implement these mechanisms on your own, reach out to a therapist. Most therapist and psychiatrists are practicing by videoconferencing, these days. This makes it easy to connect from the safety and comfort of your own home.

If you or someone you know is in need of extra help, please do not hesitate to call my office at (951) 553-3767 or email me at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

Be good to you!

So, we aren’t going to be talking about any of that, today, but something occurred to me this morning that might help you to understand this concept of “mindfulness” or “intentional thinking” better.

Each morning, I walk my dogs, which gives me much-needed time outdoors, getting exercise and typically listening to something I find inspirational. The trouble is, my walk is interrupted repetitively by my dogs’ need to sniff and pee on bushes …seemingly endlessly. You see, I’ve never taken my dogs to obedience school or really tried to train them. I notice other people walking their well-behaved dogs that just stroll along beside them without pulling on the leash or needing to mark everything they come across, but not mine.

For those of you who have ever been dog owners and taken them to obedience school, you may remember that the trainers are really training you to train your dog. Also, they train you not to be punitive with your dog, but to reward him with whatever reward is pleasing to him/her, which might be a treat or a pat on the head or just a “good dog”. And, pretty soon, your doggie is walking beside you without stopping and insisting on leading you away from your path.

It occurred to me this morning, that this is a lot like training our minds to be intentional in thought and mindful.

We begin by settling into a nice, comfortable position, closing our eyes and taking a few deep breaths while relaxing our muscles and with the intention of clearing our minds of all thoughts.

Then, the brain notices something it needs to have its own conversation about and in this time of the COVID 19 pandemic, it’s usually something like… “I think we’re out of toilet paper.” Followed by “Oh no, the stores were out of toilet paper? What will we use?” or “I need to cancel that dentist appointment!”

That is the equivalent of your brain stopping to sniff and pee on every bush it notices, interrupting your nice walk down meditation lane. And where do you end up? Annoyed and frustrated because you can’t get your puppy brain to stay on the path to pure bliss.

So, how do we train our brains to maybe notice the bush, but walk past it? Perhaps a lot like we train our puppies? Rather than scolding ourselves for “not getting it right” or thinking “oh, no, I can’t stop thinking, I HAVE to clear my mind!”

Why not notice the thought and replace it with a thought or image or idea that is pleasing to us and brings a good feeling? Then, settle into that feeling state which may be happiness, comfort, freedom, a sense of total health and wellbeing or love and ALLOW it to wash over you. Stay in that state…until the next thought comes along to interrupt it and then…JUST NOTICE IT…let it go and divert back to the thought, idea or image that brings a feeling state of happiness, comfort, freedom or whatever that good feeling was. Keep practicing that, but without a sense of urgency or judgment of whether you are doing it right or wrong.

As you practice getting into that good feeling each time you sit to meditate, you will begin to bring that same practice into your everyday activities. Feeling good leads to noticing the good things around you. On an unconscious level, it opens you up to noticing opportunities or when you are in sync with others or your environment. That will then lead to you being able to take those opportunities and allow them to make positive differences in your life, whether it be a new job, a new partner, something that you’ve wanted, or just a new idea.

So, until next time, have fun training your puppy brain with rewards and watch your life become more rewarding

Step 1: Keep a daily diary of you thoughts
Through out the day as you notice things you are thinking about write them down. Do this for several days and go back and observe your thought patterns. Were they thoughts of fear, worry, or anger?

Step 2: What do you feel?
After you have reviewed your past thoughts from previous days, be honest and answer…how do I feel when I think these thoughts?

Step 3: Make separate thought columns
The first column is for what your current thought is right now. The second column is for ideas on how you can change your perspective to transform that previous thought into a positive one.

Step 4: Be mindful of the input into your brain
It’s very important that you monitor how much media you are consuming from mainstream news and social media sources. This alone can put you into a state of fear and panic. Try and replace the time you spend watching media with creative outlets that releases a positive state of achievement.

Step 5: Focus on the good parts of your life
Each morning write down 5 to 10 things you can be grateful for. These don’t have to be big things, just the basic essential parts of life like food, water and shelter that keep you living. This will help shift your focus away from fear of loss.

Step 6: Use the power of your imagination
Everyday for at least 16 seconds try to vividly imagine your ideal life and what that looks like. A few examples are your finances, relationships, and health.

In closing I would like to share a quote with you from lao tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher. “Be mindful of your thoughts. Thoughts lead to words, words lead to actions, actions lead to habits, habits lead to character, your character leads to your destiny.”

If you or someone you know is in need of extra help, please do not hesitate to call my office at (951) 553-3767 or email me at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

Be good to you!

Keeping your home environment clean and organized is also great for calming your nervous system. If you are looking at clutter all day in your home that will transfer over into a cluttered feeling in your mind which triggers more fear and confusion. This might seem like basic rules of living at anytime which is true, but these principles are more important than ever right now.

Now let’s talk about possibly the most difficult thing to manage and that is staying informed without feeling overwhelmed by the non stop media coverage. There is no need to watch hours of the news day in and day out, this will only make you feel worse. Just check in once a day to see what major changes are happening and then shut it off. Our minds can only handle so much of it with out it having a negative effect. Instead of giving your attention to the major news networks, spend it reaching out to loved ones to give each other encouragement.

The Alcohol industry is seeing record breaking  retail sales during COVID because when people are in a state of fear they drink more to dull the pain. While alcohol does provide a dopamine rush that reduces pain and anxiety, it is only temporary and will only leave feeling worse the next day. Exercise also gives you a dopamine rush in a natural way which will allow your body to remain balanced and feeling great making it a much better alternative to alcohol. These are not easy to change habits but when made they have the power to transform your body and mind.

While these tips are very helpful when applied I’m aware that many people are in need of support now to deal with overwhelming suicidal thoughts due to the impact of COVID. For 24/7/365 support with thoughts of suicide please call 1-800-273-8255.

If you or someone you know is in need of extra help, please do not hesitate to call my office at (951) 553-3767 or email me at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

Be good to you!

If you or someone you know is in need of extra help, please do not hesitate to call my office at (951) 553-3767 or email me at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

Be good to you!

If you or someone you know is in need of extra help, please do not hesitate to call my office at (951) 553-3767 or email me at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

Be good to you!

I encourage you to look at this downtime in a positive light, a time to develop your gifts. This a time where we are not so confined to our normal busy schedules of working, raising children, and keeping a household together. Many people let their daily routine get in the way of exploring the things that they really want to do. Maybe there is a book inside of you or a work of art that you have never had the time to dedicate to, but now is your chance!

The main point I’m trying to make and want you to remember is that we are all going through this and it’s up to you to decide how you will perceive this time of social isolation. Will you see it as a time of pain and frustration or a great opportunity to do creative things that you never had time to do before.

And lastly, if you feel you cannot implement these mechanisms on your own, reach out to a therapist. Most therapist and psychiatrists are practicing by videoconferencing, these days. This makes it easy to connect from the safety and comfort of your own home.

If you or someone you know is in need of extra help, please do not hesitate to call my office at (951) 553-3767 or email me at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

Be good to you!