Covid Awareness

Tackling negative emotions during lockdown

Tackling with negative emotions and depressive thoughts during the lockdown

-Mahima Sehgal

COVID-19, a name that threatens the entire world. While the entire world seems to have paused, it is not surprising that sometimes our mind wanders to places and gives rise to anxious or depressive thoughts. While the government initiated the lockdown to contain the virus, are people taking steps to prevent such negativity and ensure their mental well-being?

If humans bottle up their frustration and these emotions, they will do more harm than good. While this technique might seem beneficial to avoid short term consequences, it takes away their ability to enjoy the little things in life and truly be happy.

Here are some of the steps in order to maintain a joyous lifestyle-

1. Adjusting  perspective

Avoided the word’ changing’ because that seems to be quiet a heavy task to do, but all that is required here is to adjust the perspective. That means understanding that in the time of crisis, where everything has taken a halt, it is important to enjoy the little joys of life. These joys might include the smallest things such as watching a show on Netflix that someone was waiting to watch for a long time but could not due to lack of time or maybe reconnecting the bond with their family after a long time.Try to find positivity even in negative situations, it is not easy to do so, but once it happens, things automatically turn out to be positive, after all, the law of attraction works!

1. Get engaged

This might seem a little absurd, but it is essential in these stressful times. Getting engaged does not mean sleeping or being on the phone. Simple things can be done such as learning how to bake or dance from YouTube, or to exercise to keep in shape, or something as simple as engaging with people around, spending some quality time with them. These little things keep the mind occupied and help in blocking the negative thoughts.

1. Writing- The best coping mechanism

Even though it sounds a bit mainstream, many psychologists believe that the ‘Dear Diary’ thing works! Writing about the insecurities and depressive thoughts provides these thoughts a channel to exit the mind.There is no training required on what to write or how to write, just put in all the thoughts without censoring anything on a piece of paper but before writing, recognize the negative emotions and accept them. When people fail to understand you, a piece of paper will not disappoint.

1. Limit  screen time

social media and news have become an integral part of lives, and functioning without it seems almost impossible, all that is being asked is to put slight restrictions on the usage. It is good to be aware of what is happening around, but sometimes so much awareness through the news might make the surroundings seem more negative. Also, instead of spending so much time on social media try to absorb some Vitamin D for the brain to function well.

1. Do a little thing that makes someone happy

Making someone else happy, gives a boost to energy, and provides some sort of self-satisfaction. This thing could involve very little effort and still bring a smile to someone’s face. For example, make small chits of gratitude and give them to a family member each day. By being of service to others, the mind believes that there is some use of us and tends to avoid the feelings of worthlessness.

1. Make goals and achieve them

This does not mean setting huge goals and over expecting from yourself but instead create a list, write five little things you could achieve within a day. As soon as you achieve each goal, keep on crossing it on the list. This helps you think of yourself as worthwhile and competent. These things could be as simple as watering the plants or helping in some household chores. This makes you feel well of yourself, and when you feel positive about yourself you could go on and achieve the huge targets too.

1. Make a routine to exercise

At this point in time, when everyone is locked inside their houses, it is very essential to stay fit and healthy. Exercise helps to divert the mind and reduces all the anxious and depressive thoughts; it also gives a boost to a person’s self-esteem. If there is a lack of motivation, don’t try to go big and just make a little effort each day. If there are other people around, take them along to work out, it leads to increased group motivation. Even if someone is alone, decide a time and start for a least 10 minutes. Once a person gets used to exercising, they willingly do it without fail but it requires the person to take the first step.

In order to achieve all these steps, give some time, it is not easy adjusting to a new lifestyle. Also, it is okay to mistakes, without making mistakes one cannot fully grow. As people always say there is scope for improvement, but how will one improve without making and realizing those mistakes?

Go easy and slowly push away all the negativity out of life.