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How are you doing right now? Throughout this entire month, we have been talking about mental health on The Stress Less Show in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. While mental health is always an important part of our well-being that we need to pay attention to, we find ourselves living in a time where mental health and taking care of ourselves has become even more important. As we continue to adjust to shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders as a result of COVID-19, we might be finding ourselves juggling a million new challenges at any given moment of the day. That is why I brought counselor, Majet Reyes, back on The Stress Less Show to help us find balance during this uncertain time.
As a former paramedic, Majet has a lot of experience addressing trauma and difficult events and emotions. Now a mental health counselor helping countless others process and address their trauma, Majet’s journey began after she joined a trauma counseling graduate program and began to process her own trauma that she experienced as a paramedic.
“I didn't get to process that for many years until I got into this program of trauma counseling. And that's when I realized that this is my purpose, after processing my own trauma.”
Back by popular demand, Majet is here to share even more of her wisdom during this time by giving us a few tips on how to achieve balance even in the midst of coping with this global trauma we are all facing.
Tip #1: Understand the emotional response in times of trauma
Majet’s first tip is to recognize and understand the traumatic responses we may be experiencing right now. Coronavirus and quarantine have brought up a lot of different emotions for people. fear, anger, worry, frustration, sadness, you name it.
As these emotions bubble up, they can manifest into physical and mental responses that may surprise us. The reality is that we are all living through a collective experience no one was prepared for and Majet stresses that it is important to remember we are not alone in this.
“If you're feeling any of these emotions, I just want to remind you that it's totally normal. What we're [all] going through - a pandemic - that's abnormal and it's so distressing for all of us. And that's okay.”
In order to handle these responses, we first have to accept that they are a completely normal part of life. It can be so easy to get sucked into shame or guilt around how we may be coping during this time, but no matter what is coming up for you, it is important to accept it and treat yourself with kindness.
Tip #2: Investigate and tune into your emotions
As we begin to accept and acknowledge the emotional responses we may be having in the wake of this global trauma, Majet stresses the importance of being curious about the emotions we find ourselves experiencing. While our first impulse might be to push these negative or constricting emotions aside, investigating their internal and external triggers is crucial in our ability to move past them.
“If we need to go to Sad Town, go to sad town, but don't live there. Try to understand why you're there.”
During this time where we are all undergoing extreme changes to our daily lives and our future plans, experiencing our emotions fully allows us to not stay trapped in them. We need to be willing to hold space for both our happiness and our pain so that we can continue to move forward with clarity.
Tip #3: Create a self-care action plan for times of uncertainty
Once we have built a foundation of understanding around the emotions we are feeling, the next step is to have a plan to manage stress and negative emotions when they are triggered. This is where, Majet highlights, real self-care comes in. Majet suggests taking this time to find things that you can do that will bring you joy and fill your cup, whether that is painting, cooking, learning new skills, you name it.
“When you know what brings you joy, that's your purpose. And when you know your purpose, that's your why. And when you know your why, there's always hope and you're going to keep going.”
As we continue to navigate this new normal in quarantine, finding ways to spark joy within ourselves is key to counter the tumultuous changes we are facing and find a sense of balance.