Professional Wellness Counseling, PLLC.
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A few years ago my friend from graduate school was relating to me how her daughter, who had recently acquired a new job was struggling with anxiety. She went on to describe to me how she got a great new job bit that one of the requirements of the job was to pass a comprehensive […]
A few years ago my friend from graduate school was relating to me how her daughter, who had recently acquired a new job was struggling with anxiety. She went on to describe to me how she got a great new job bit that one of the requirements of the job was to pass a comprehensive competency test. It seems that her anxiety was a form of test/performance anxiety. I suggested that she teach her the mindful grounding exercise. I will describe it and give examples below. I’ll come back to the conclusion of this story later.
Before you begin doing the grounding exercise you may want to find a few minutes and a place to yourself to concentrate on being mindful. The first step in the mindful grounding exercise is to identify five things you can see. Some examples might be…
The second step is simply to identify four things you can feel with your sense of touch. Some examples of this are…
The third step is to identify three things you can hear. For some people, this requires being more mindful than they are used to simply being cluttered with noise. Examples of this step are…
At this stage, it can get a little dicey for some people. From here on out the exercise requires mindful concentration. Step four of the grounding exercise is to identify two things you smell. Examples of this are…
The final step to the grounding exercise is to identify one thing you can taste. Examples of this are…
Now back to my story from above. My friend taught her daughter the grounding exercise. In addition, she told her to do the exercise a few times right before she had to take the test again. She did it, and consequently, her anxiety was lower and she did great on the test. This is sometimes called the 1-2-3-4-5 exercise. And as you can see it’s not complicated at all. It’s just paying attention to your senses and that can have a dramatic impact on struggles like anxiety, stress, depression, and coping with difficult situations. This and other exercises can be found here.
Click here to download my Mindful Grounding Exercise Infographic
If you asked any of us a year ago what would life be like in 2020, it’s doubtful anyone would have guessed we’d be going through a global pandemic, replete with lockdowns and self-quarantining. At the beginning of the year, some families might have thought of being forced to stay home from work and school […]
If you asked any of us a year ago what would life be like in 2020, it’s doubtful anyone would have guessed we’d be going through a global pandemic, replete with lockdowns and self-quarantining. At the beginning of the year, some families might have thought of being forced to stay home from work and school would be a fun little vacation. But as the weeks and months have passed, we’ve all learned this has been anything but fun. Therefore, the family impact of COVID-19 has been dramatic.
But how is COVID affecting families? Well, it affects parents and kids and spouses a little differently.
Kids haven’t enjoyed the time off nearly as much as we all initially thought. Disruption to normal routines caused many teens and adolescents to feel anxiety. Add to this being away from their friends, and many young people are also feeling depressed.
Summer vacation for many this year wasn’t as fun as normal. Travel has been next to impossible for some families in certain states. Cancellations of sports events occurred. Boredom has set in for many kids, which has led to a lot of acting out and showing mood swings.
The pandemic has also negatively impacted those youths already suffering from a mental health issue. An example of this is those on the autism spectrum. For many of these kids, a disruption of routine combined with the cancellation of speech therapy sessions has stalled their progress and caused anxiety.
With some schools opening and some only offering online classes, life is still not back to normal and many kids are simply not able to deal with this crisis any longer.
Parents have, without question, been hit hard by the pandemic. With forced school closures, many parents have had to learn how to home school while also learn how to get used to the “new normal” of working from home.
As if that wasn’t enough, parents have also had to become mental health therapists, helping their children navigate through the fear, anxiety, and depression they are experiencing.
Quarantining and self-isolation have definitely impacted our familial and romantic relationships. When you are locked in a house with your family, things get chaotic and, well, everyone gets on each other’s nerves. Now forced to live on top of one another, and enduring financial hardships, worrying about health, and educating and organizing the children—just going grocery shopping can add a layer of stress.
Many couples may already have relationship issues under the surface. These couples may find the sudden and intense stress has brought these issues to the surface. This can be a turning point for many relationships. They may ask themselves “will this current crisis bring us closer or finally drive us apart?”
Without question, we are all living under an intense amount of stress. This stress is affecting us all in different ways. If you and your family aren’t able to handle the stress any longer, it’s important that you reach out and get some help from a family counselor. Most therapists are offering telehealth services, which means you can get the benefits of therapy right over the internet. IN conclusion, there are options for those struggling with the family impact of COVID-19.
If you’d like to explore treatment options, please reach out to me. I’d be more than happy to discuss how I may be able to help. To contact me click here.
SOURCES:
COVID-19 and the pandemic have affected many of us in unprecedented and unforeseen ways. Many pandemic lessons have been learned. The pandemic lockdown has caused people to be more isolated. It has created increases in mental health problems like anxiety and depression. It has also forced many to improvise on how to do work and […]
COVID-19 and the pandemic have affected many of us in unprecedented and unforeseen ways. Many pandemic lessons have been learned. The pandemic lockdown has caused people to be more isolated. It has created increases in mental health problems like anxiety and depression. It has also forced many to improvise on how to do work and family during this time.
The pandemic has caused our country and many other countries to adopt new and innovative ways of delivering services and working. An example of this is therapy. Many counselors have transitioned from office visits to telehealth therapy. Click here for information on our telehealth therapy. Unfortunately, these and many other changes have been forced upon us by demand.
One of the things that we can learn from the pandemic is that people are resilient. We have the ability to overcome challenging and unexpected situations. When we find ourselves in need of help, we can find a therapist for help. Additionally, there are other resources to support our resiliency. Most notable are the online support opportunities like Talkspace or other online helpline or services. The important thing to remember is that you are resilient and there are resources if you need help.
Another important pandemic lesson is the lesson of innovation. The pandemic has taught us we need to be creative in finding solutions to problems. For example, restaurants have created outside eating areas during the quarantine. Churches have also creatively adapted. Many churches are doing outdoor worship services, services in cars, and indoor services without music and social distanced. In short, many in many industries have had to employ creativity to carry out their work.
Closely related to creativity is the pandemic lesson of productivity. Many people have had their jobs and livelihoods affected by the pandemic. There are a couple of things that people have done to maintain productivity. For instance, many of those still working have been forced to do so from home. in addition. many workers have also been carrying out their work in new and creative ways. The use of services like ZOOM to stay connected to and collaborate with fellow employees is now commonplace.
If any of these pandemic lessons resonate with you and you are looking for solutions to your struggles, I am currently accepting new clients. Click here for more information.
https://www.newsweek.com/2020/06/05/mental-health-toll-coronavirus-could-rival-that-disease-itself-1506664.html
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/355668
http://www.Talkspace.com
