There is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has rocked our society to its core. From remain in place orders to wearing masks in public to the shutdown of entire states, the change has been unprecedented. However, that also means you could make unprecedented change for yourself. The lockdown orders across the country have forced a large majority of us to stay at home and forget about the stressful lives we once used to lead. Having this quiet time to reflect on what to change in your life and how to successfully implement a plan to keep these changes for the long term once life returns to normal will surely have positive effects on your mental wellbeing.
Look Inside Yourself
One of the first ways you can start improving your mental health during this time is by looking at the areas in your life that cause you the most stress, worry, and anxiety. Though there are certain activities that you would love to be doing but cannot during these times that might cause some of these feelings, likely there is a high probability that the unintended peace and quiet has caused you to realize what these negative aspects of your life are. You should take the time to reflect on what truly makes you happy. You should then start making a plan to actively change these aspects.
Make a Plan
Before you start your plan towards increased wellbeing, you first need to identify a few things. Firstly, you need to identify all the obstacles in your way. These could range from anything like old friends, routines, pressures, or emotional triggers. Once you have identified them, you can start developing a way forward by enlisting the help of friends and family to give you suggestions on how to improve. But please do not be too critical of yourself since some common traits of a good goal is one that realistic and measured. You need to create a series of small, realistic milestones to reach your intended goal.
Let Others Help You
Leaning on those same people as before will prove to be crucial since starting and maintaining change is inherently difficult, especially during this coronavirus pandemic. You should pick at least one and probably more people to help make sure you stay on track for your goals. Commonly, this could be a spouse, friend, parent, or even children. No matter who you pick the people you decide to comfort you need to be supportive and non-judgmental of your path to a better you. You also need to set up a routine in order to create sustainable, steady progress towards your goals. It can become very discouraging, especially in the beginning, but do not worry since this well get easier if you follow three simple words: Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance.
Do Not Give Up
Patience is first because it is the most critical. Throughout the entire process, it is imperative that you have patience with yourself and those around you have the patience for you. Mistakes happen and you are always going to have a bad day sometimes. But it is important to not give up as soon as you run into some difficulty since lasting change is difficult. Persistence and perseverance go hand in hand in that persistence is the daily commitment you have to take to put the time to work towards your goals while perseverance is a daily commitment to continue pushing through when the going gets tough.
Rest assured that the staff and employees of Advantage Mental Health Center are committed to all three of these P’s both now during the coronavirus pandemic and long after. Let us help you on your path to better mental wellbeing today.
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