What's My Role In All This?

by Danielle Dest

These past few months have represented an unprecedented period for people across the globe, and all of us are suddenly impacted by a common issue. Everyone on the planet who has access to any form of communication is aware that there is a pandemic and affected by it to varying degrees. For some, it will cause a ripple, for others, a tsunami. How are you coping? Have you been able to address the related issues in a safe, healthy, and positive manner? What is your role in all this? Would counseling services from a place like Clarity Counseling Center in Wilmington help?

Building Positive Coping Techniques 

Research shows a productive strategy for improving mood is to increase positive activities. This is similar to Behavioral Activation (Richard et al., 2016), a strategy used to improve symptoms of depression by encouraging the individual to become engaged in just about anything. Recently, I’ve heard many people, whose circumstances vary greatly, share that the current situation has negatively affected their mood. Let us explore some avenues that might help reduce this negative impact and allow us to continue to evoke hope in these uncertain times. 

Routine

No matter how basic, having a routine is helpful. Wake up. Brush your teeth. Wash your face. Eat breakfast. Exercise. Schedule short periods for checking social media or watching the news. Read a book in the evening with a cup of chamomile tea. 

Self-Compassion

Give yourself a break. Accept that no one is perfectly navigating the pandemic, and stop comparing your reaction to others. Everyone, including you, is doing the best they can given their particular circumstances.

Explore

Start a new activity — learn another language, take an online yoga class — that might improve your overall situation, even after things calm down and return to some state of normalcy. Try something you’ve always wanted to do but never found the time for. Take a walk and discover your neighborhood.

Look Outward

Get curious about ways you might be able to make a healthy, positive impact on someone else’s life. Write a handwritten note to an old friend, or send a thoughtful email. Maybe you possess a resource, talent, or gift that you could share. Find out if any organizations in your local community are looking for volunteers. 

Be Part Of The Solution! 

We all play a role — in fact, many — in how the pandemic impacts us individually, our families and communities, and ultimately the whole world. Inevitably, thankfully, this moment will pass, but future generations will look back at this period and learn about how we dealt with it. They may even be searching for clues about how to handle a similar situation. How do you want to be portrayed? What legacy do you want to leave behind? Do you want to promote fear or hope? Do you want to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution? If you’re struggling to implement positive activities like this in your life, you may benefit from counseling services. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, contact Clarity Counseling Center in Wilmington. We offer a wide variety of counseling services, including online therapy.    References Richards, D., et al (2016). Cost and outcome of behavioral activation versus cognitive behavioral therapy for depression (COBRA): a randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial. The Lancet, 388(10047), 871-880. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31140-0
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