This week I have been feeling totally overwhelmed, the weight of what we are experiencing has really started to affect me and I am struggling. I am a trained professional in dealing with mental health issues and feelings such as anxiety, stress and overwhelm but that doesn’t mean I have it together at all times. I, like all of us, have days/weeks where nothing feels right, I can’t focus, I can’t seem to get anything done and I seem to spend most of my time feeling guilty for not succeeding in any of the multitude of things that I have to juggle.
I feel I am being pulled in so many directions all at once; Mother, Teacher, Significant Other, Cook , Cleaner, Therapist and I know that it isn’t possible to excel at all these roles simultaneously but it doesn’t stop me feeling bad that I can’t. I know that there are millions of people out there feeling exactly the same way if not worse than I do so I know I am not alone - we are not alone. The situation that we are all enduring is difficult on so many levels; there are those who are sick and so sadly, dying from Covid-19, there are the Key Workers working all hours to look after us and risking their own lives in the process, then there are those who are doing their bit by staying at home and social distancing potentially facing loss of their businesses and feeling helpless and isolated, students missing exams and children missing their friends and wider families.
We are all grieving for what this year was going to bring us. 2020, for many people that I speak to, was anticipated as being the year when things turned around and all their hard work paid off. This is no longer the case as we all adjust our perspective to our new reality of life during a global pandemic. When will this end? What will life look like in 1 years time? In 5 years time? No-one can answer this and so we are all forced to live in the present moment, What are we experiencing right now? as this is all that truly matters. Can we find a way to be accepting of our current situation and to find some joy in the day to day moments of our lives in lockdown. This I feel so strongly is the answer to getting through this as best we can.
Meditation and mindfulness are the key to living in this way; practicing daily, focused attention on the breath, the sensations in the body that we are are experiencing right now, the bird song outside my window, the sound of the keys as I type and the tingling in my scalp that I notice. If you have never explored these practices, maybe now is the time to start? Maybe now is the time for us all to start looking deeper within ourselves to find the joy in the everyday moments.
If you feel that you would struggle with this and have no idea where to begin then call or email me and we can talk about why this process may be difficult for you. Also look out for the free resources that I will be sharing in the coming weeks, guided meditations and hypnotherapy audio downloads which you may find helpful.
Together we will get through this.
Cx