Have you seen Liv McNeil’s NUMB; a Canadian teenager’s three-minute film about how her life has changed amid the pandemic? OMG! Talk about a mental health clip that invites you to consider how your own pandemic-life has changed.
How are you functioning during these unprecedented times? Can you use a boost? May be you can use a little Fairy Dust right about now?
We all need to understand how we are experiencing our own pandemic life. A pandemic life that is dull and repetitious without fulfillment can require a daily primal scream to invite wellness back in. So, when necessary, do it! Scream!
A continuous experience of strife and resistance with all the political and pandemic chatter can wear people down into numbness. According to the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; we need to work to manage our emotions toward wellness.
Yet, even before the pandemic, how many people had already been living at least partly without the joy all humans need to feel fulfilled? The pandemic has exacerbated this lack of a balanced, healthy, happy and productive life. You know that anxiety your feeling right now: well, get this, it’s actually helping you cope! What!!? Yeah, as we bond together from a distance . . . we can slow the spread (and deaths) of the disease. In a Nutshell, our anxiety although very uncomfortable is actually a good thing right now. To help reduce the anxiety—- we need to find moments of resilience all around us. But first, we need to understand what we can and cannot control. Here is a Covid-19 Chart that explains control vs. no-control.
So, if you have been feeling numb your Fairy-self; here is some Fairy Dust (tools) to use on your personal journey back to an Enchanted Realm (joy), and a more balanced healthy life.
Tips for Everyone
- Stay physically safe from the virus.
- Limit media to reduce anxiety
- Get and Provide warm, comforting, social support by video, phone, or text.
- Find ways of expressing kindness, patience, and compassion.
- Create new routines and keep practicing healthy behaviors.
- Eat well.
- Work well enough from home:
-Confine your workspace to a specific clear area in your home so your job doesn’t intrude on your personal needs. Use this same space regularly to work. This will focus your mind and increase your productivity.
-Control sound. Use noise cancelling headphones or earbuds, or use music or fans to create white noise.
-End the workday with clear boundaries. Put away electronic devices and work tools at the end of your workday and set clear hours in the day for work.
-Have a morning or evening check-in with a colleague or supervisor to reduce social isolation and provide structure to your day. Use video communications when you can. Seeing faces provides more social connection and information than just talking.
Source: https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/coronavirus/coping
Participating through storytelling is critical at moments of challenge. Stories can motivate and mobilize us and create optimism, expertise, and solutions that are centered around people and our shared human experience in times of pandemic numbness.
I hope these wellness posts continue to help guide you into wellness during these challenging times. If you would like me to explore a specific Pandemic Numbing idea, contact me below.
Stay Well, and . . . Let The Fairy Dust Fly!
Mary Cathy” Wilson
Naissene Fairy World HOME 