Stay Positive

Happy Friday! What a week, huh? The United States has nearly shut down, most of us are self-quarantining at home, and the Coronavirus has hit hard. I know for many people this has caused some anxiety. Many have had to stop working, stay home with family, teaching our kids, or are teachers who aren’t able to be at school with their kiddos. It is definitely a time of uncertainty. I’m not very good at sitting still in one place for very long, so being stuck at home really drives me crazy. With all of this negativity and scariness in our lives (and all over social media) right now, I thought I would share a few easy resilience techniques to help us all through it. Most of these are things aren’t new; I’ve talked about them before, but they are so powerful.

First, I want to start by discussing the skill Find the Positive (P.S. there’s a whole page dedicated to it above!). This technique is one of the most powerful resilience skills. It is also the simplest, which is why it is often overlooked. So what is it? Find the Positive is essentially gratitude journaling. Find three things from your day that were positive or you are grateful for. Write them down in a notebook or journal and take time to reflect on each one. Why/How did this good thing happen? What can I do tomorrow to make more of this good thing happen? Who contributed to this good thing? The reflection helps us identify who, what, when, where, and why. It also allows us to relish in the positive feelings a second time. This skill is most powerful when it becomes a habit. Do this every night before bed, during lunch with your family, or right away when you wake up, looking back on yesterday.

Find the Positive counteracts our natural tendency to look at the negative things in life, and boy could we all use a bit of counteracting that right now! It helps us to create more of the positive feelings such as happiness and joy. It allows us to appreciate where we are and what we have. These are all things we could use right now.

Next, I want to talk about a solution to my own personal problem of being cooped up inside. All of the gyms have closed, and we are stuck in our houses. And if you’re like me, you’re stuck in a tiny apartment with even less room and no equipment of your own. This may be true, but we should all still work on being active. Physical activity is crucial to our mental health. While we are unable to go work, stores, or gyms; we are allowed to be outside, and I highly encourage you to go! Go for a walk, a jog, or play in the yard with your kids. Get out a yoga mat and practice those asanas (poses) in your yard or living room. There are so many apps out there to help you create your own at home workout. One app that I’ve really enjoyed is called 8fit, but there are many others! Keep moving, stay active, and get fresh air. It will really help your mental health while we are all being cooped up.

Speaking of yoga, did you know the poses of yoga were actually designed to get your body and mind prepared for meditation? Meditation is a great way to get your mind right and stay sane through all the uncertainty. I saw a quote today that said, “When you can’t go outside, go inside.” There are also many apps designed to guide you through a meditation. There’s also the app and device called Inner Balance and HearthMath, respectively, that work together to help you learn to control your breathing and your mind. My suggestion for meditating would be to focus on gratitude. Calm your breathing through diaphragmatic breathing and then focus your mind on gratitude. You can think about a past scenario that you felt gratitude, or just simply focus on the word gratitude. However you do it, it can be very powerful for your mental health.

The last thing I want to leave you all with is one of the competencies from the curriculum I Am Resilient: Connection. Remember to use this time at home with your loved ones to build and nurture connections. Learn something new about them, engage in conversations, play games, or just enjoy a cozy movie night with them. Take advantage of the time you’re given together.

Not only is this a time to enjoy each others’ company, it’s also a time to drive each other crazy! Am I right? Remember to keep communication open. I know that after so many days “stuck” with someone like a significant other or even our own children, it can start to get difficult. Keep talking, keep being clear and concise, and don’t think they can always read your mind. But also, refrain from trying to read their mind, too. Speak up about what you want or don’t want. It can be difficult to communicate, but trust me it will make things easier when we are stuck at home all together. Enjoy the extra time you have together. Look at this time as a blessing; it’s not very often we are literally handed this much time to be with our loved ones.

I truly hope the best for all of you! Stay safe and stay healthy. Hopefully, some of these resilience techniques can help you through the uncharted times ahead. Remember, even in difficult times there are things to be grateful for. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just need to talk don’t hesitate to reach out, now more than ever.

Last, but not least, here is my own Find the Positive.

1. I am using this time “stuck” at home to learn a better system for working from home. I’m so grateful for the new tools I have found to help me be more productive at home. Up until now, I always had to leave my home to go to a coffee shop to get any work accomplished. This week has been tough, but I’m learning how to be productive without having to hit up a coffee shop.
2. I’m grateful for my dog. Because of my dog, I’ve had to go outside. The fresh air, even on the ugly days, has done me a lot of good. She keeps me moving and getting the activity I need.
3. I was able to leave my house and see friends yesterday (at a socially acceptable distance, of course haha). I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to leave my house and to see them. It was a great change of pace and helped me to reset my “cooped up timer”.