Welcome back on this Wednesday. I would like to first ask, how are you doing? How are you holding up during these ever changing times? It can be beneficial to your emotional health and overall well being to take a moment to check in with yourself. Ask yourself some questions such as, how am I feeling? Where is my mind? Where do these negative thoughts come from? We are all dealing with so many changes in our daily lives and this can be very uncomfortable for us. It is important to remember this won’t last forever and you are not alone.  When we find ourselves getting anxious or stressed, we can check in with ourselves and try to identify the reasons we are having these feelings. It only takes a moment and can make a big change to positively effect your mood, outlook  and your emotional well being.

Checking in with yourself regularly is a good way to avoid “burnout.”

When we can accept that change is constant and inevitable, we find a sense of freedom in ourselves. The wonderful video below from HeadSpace explains how accepting the change around us can be helpful to reducing our stress and anxiety during these uncertain times in our world.

Its important we know during these times that we aren’t alone in these feelings and thoughts we may be having. We are all going through this together and it is all of our sadness. Let yourself have feelings of sadness, anger, and grief for all that is happening right now in your life. Also, recognize that there are countless others out there in the world that are having the same feelings as you. Its very natural to have a wide variety of feelings and emotions during these challenging  times.

Feelings help us to gain a better understanding of ourselves and others. They are a shared human condition as the video below further illustrates.

I think being reminded that its okay to have feelings is important right now especially when we have so much time to fall into self reflection that often leads to us judging ourselves for just being human.

We often get so stuck in the negative and forget that much like other things that humans have overcome in history, we will get past this. There is a sunny day after all this rain. Below is another HeadSpace video that illustrates this and reminds us that there will be blue sky’s again.

As we continue through these often fearful, anxious or confusing days, we can take comfort that they won’t last forever. I was often told when I had a problem as a child, “this too shall pass,” as a way to help me to see that this moment is just that, this moment. Not the next or the last, just this one. It also help me realize that change is constant in life and it can be both pleasant at times and not so pleasant at other times. Being able to accept that we are all feeling stressed and that is okay is a big step towards letting the negative thoughts pass. You have control over your mind and your thoughts. Try to find ways you can see the positive in your day today and see if it changes your mood. Don’t forget, you are not alone. Reach out to those you love and support you if you are having a anxious or sad feelings. Just because we can’t physically be together doesn’t mean we can’t support each other from a distance.

Please remember to wash your hands, stay home if you can, practice social distancing and wear a mask to protect the most vulnerable among us.

I am writing this blog to be helpful to you all out there during this turbulent time and am looking for your feedback. Please feel free to leave your comments, questions and suggestions under the Contact Me tab at the top of the page. You can subscribe to this blog by clicking on the Subscribe button in the lower right corner. Just enter your email address and receive Self-Care Corner in your inbox every morning! Isn’t that wonderful?

In addition, you can now find Self-Care Corner on Twitter @selfcarecorners, where I will be posting daily affirmations and ways to cope with these changing times. I hope this will help others feel less alone, more relaxed and more empowered to practice self-care.