Coping With Change
There’s little doubt that the current COVID-19 crisis has turned the world upset down.
As of early April 2020, nearly 90% of Americans are living under some sort of “stay-at-home” guidance, leaving home only for reasons deemed “essential”. Suddenly—and for the foreseeable future with no definite end in sight—we are “stuck at home”.
For those of us who are used to schedules over-filled from morning to night with work, school, and activities, the change is extreme, and stressful. And the stress of that extreme change in our lifestyles can feel unbearable and overwhelming when piled on top of concerns about our health and the health of our loved ones family and worries about our financial futures in an uncertain economy.
Minimizing stress and anxiety as we navigate this difficult and uncertain crisis is possible. But doing so requires adaption and flexibility, changing our expectations, and even acknowledging that it’s ok to be bored!
What is psychological flexibility?
Within the mental health community, psychological flexibility is our ability to be mindful of the importance of living in the present and adapting with flexibility to the changing demands of our present situation. Being psychologically flexible doesn’t necessarily equate to “being happy”. Instead, when we are psychologically flexible, we are better able to cope with difficult or unpleasant thoughts.
A core component of a specialized type of therapy known as ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, improving psychological flexibility rests on three core pillars:
Being mindful of and accepting the present moment
Being conscious of self and how that sense of self guides actions and choices
Choosing committed actions that are effective, values-guided, and mindful
As we are forced to be flexible in adapting to changing physical circumstances, taking active steps to improve our psychological flexibility can help us better cope with the mental stress of navigating this unique and challenging moment in time.
Changing Expectations
Part of accepting and being mindful of the present must include an ability to change our expectations.
It’s important to let go of what we think we, and those around us, should be feeling or should be doing. Instead, staying in the present includes focusing on being grateful for what we have and letting go of what we can’t change or control.
And when we release those expectations, we are giving ourselves—and the others around us—permission to “be human”, to make mistakes, to mourn the lifestyle we might be missing, and to better cope with the stress and anxiety around us.
The benefits of being bored
Finally, as we mourn all the things we are missing in this “new normal”, recognize that it’s ok to slow down and let ourselves and our families be bored!
In our normally fast-paced lives, being bored feels like the enemy, something to avoid at all costs.
In fact, being bored is not a bad thing!
Once we give ourselves space to be bored, we may be surprised at how much we enjoy it. Because in reality, another word for boredom is relaxation. This unique moment in time offers us something truly special: the opportunity to slow down, to do nothing, and to allow our bodies and our minds to unwind and, well, relax.
Learning to be mindful and flexible—and relaxed—is a process. Yet staying focused on the present and embracing the unusual opportunities that being forced to “stay home” presents can really and truly help us maintain our mental health through this extraordinary crisis.
NEED HELP?
Collaborative Therapeutic Services (CTS) wants to help. We offer a variety of counselling and therapy services, hours, and service providers with diverse specializations. We offer evening & weekend appointments both in office and by TeleHealth conferencing. Have questions? Contact Us Here or Call 813-951-7346. Located in Tampa, Florida.
Ask us about our new NEUROLEASE™ TREATMENT THERAPY - A cutting edge treatment for releasing toxic emotions.