5 Ways to Keep On Keeping On During a Pandemic
By 1A Wellness Staff
It’s still 2020. And life is not what it used to be. With chronic uncertainty and disconnection, even the smallest of tasks can seem daunting and each day more tiring. In this unprecedented time, painful emotions like anger, depression, and anxiety may come one after another like waves. These reactions make sense. Feeling unmotivated does not mean that you have failed or that something is wrong with you. It may just be that you are a human being in the midst of a pandemic.
The heaviness you could be feeling is only natural, and there are ways you can change your response to that heaviness that will actually help you feel less stuck.
We do not like to feel chronic, painful emotions – and why would we? We prefer the positive emotions that came more readily when the world felt safer and more predictable. Calm. Assurance. Trust. Joy. Hope. Ease.
How do we rise to this challenge when we are so weighed down and separated from our usual ways of coping? In this moment, it can be helpful to redefine what coping and inspiration mean.
Here are five ways to take action on your own behalf, even when it feels impossible.
You don’t need to wait to feel “motivated” to take action. In fact, taking a step back from your emotions and small things that you have control over is a great way to remind yourself that you are not your emotions. Remember, the part of you that lacks motivation and feels depressed is just one part of you. Remind yourself that you are the protagonist of your own life. Ask yourself, what do you want for your protagonist today? Hold the larger story in mind. Keep going. Success does not necessarily mean feeling successful and continuance is in and of itself is an achievement. Taking care of mundane chores, daily tasks, and the people in your home, including yourself, may not seem like marks of success but indeed these are foundational achievements, meaning that the stories we generally think of as “success” are merely layers on top. No positive action is too small. Set a ‘destination’ or incremental goal for each day. Every step counts. If you feel that it is not physically possible to exercise, simply take one moment and do one yoga pose or one jumping jack or a few seconds to stretch or take a short walk around the block. Imagine all the people closest to you smiling and cheering you on for each small, positive action that you take throughout your day. Positively coach yourself throughout the day, asking all the internal critics’ voices to turn the volume down so that you can focus on your next step in a very straightforward way. Think small and, if needed, fake it. Just saying to yourself once in the day “you matter” is a reasonable accomplishment in 2020.
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Note on Health Insurance
1A Wellness is a self-pay out-of-network practice. As such, we do not accept health insurance. But if your healthcare plan includes an out-of-network option, partial reimbursement may be available. See our FAQ section for more information.
