COVID-19: The top 6 takeaways I learned from my experiences as a mental health listener and the effects of COVID on one’s mental well-being have not faded despite the fact that the world has learned to ‘live with COVID’ and have come to terms with its effects.
The Importance of Building Candor
To build trust with the vulnerable, candor is immensely important
- If you want someone to feel trusted, you can consider sharing something personal and this would establish a stronger bond between you and the other party
- Likewise, if you are seeking relief from the stress and anxiety of work or personal life, you’d naturally feel much better if you can be open and frank about your thoughts and feelings
The ‘478’ Breathing Technique
Developed by Dr. Andrew Weil
- Breath in deep for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale slowly over 8 seconds
- Name “478” is derived from the duration of your inhaling, holding and exhaling process
Understanding your emotions
There is a clear distinction between “I am anger” and “I feel anger”.
- In the former, you are subconsciously letting anger consume you.
- Anger is nothing but another feeling that happens to pass by your body and soul. If you could truly understand this, you would learn to let go, breathe, and calm yourself down when you feel angry.
Be Collaborative Instead of Forceful
Listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream
- It is okay to keep your nose to the grindstone, but if you do it for too long, you may soon lose your nose.
Conclusion
Mental health may not be a topic everyone is comfortable speaking about, but taking the first step to learning more about it is definitely important for both yourself and whomever you may interact with in the future.
Get Rid of Ants!!!
If you fill your life with positivity, you’ll find yourself in a much better place. Fill your mind and spirit with positive thoughts.
- “I am not smart enough”, “Bad things will happen”, “I don’t think I am ever going to succeed”. – these are prime examples of negative thoughts. Think “I can try”.
Understand the Amygdala
An Essential Part of Your Brain that Controls Fear and Anger
- In a high-stress environment when the amygdala is active, the prefrontal cortex is “switched off.”
- This means that in an environment where fear and anger are present, people are unable to make rational decisions.
