The coronavirus pandemic has taken us out of our comfort zone and placed us in an environment of fear, uncertainty and chaos.
Time passes and the situation becomes more and more complicated, as if it were a nightmare. In some cases the life we knew until recently falls apart at times and we feel lost, blocked, helpless…
Changes do not stop occurring and they occur so quickly and unexpectedly that it is difficult for us to adapt to them. Faced with such an uncertain future, we feel the desire to return to a past that no longer exists. We want to live in peace, recover our freedoms, customs, hobbies and relationships with others, but the current situation prevents us from doing so and we cannot do anything to change it.
Therefore, we need to move forward, survive this tsunami as best as possible. For it, We cannot stop our lives until the storm subsides since we do not know its duration or how things will be at that time.
Psychological guidelines to know how to deal with the pandemic and its consequences
It is important to be prepared for what may come and to do so, we need to not only adapt to living under the storm, but also take advantage of the time it lasts to have maximum resources when facing this unknown future as it arrives, to avoid being left behind. or along the way.
1. Connect with your emotions
The lifestyle we led before this happened required continuous overexertion and a level of self-demand that caused us, many times, to be so focused on the external that we did not allow ourselves to look inward. This made us live robotically, we let ourselves be carried away by a kind of inertia. Without asking ourselves if that was the life we really wanted. This moment is good to reconnect with your interior, your essence.
2. Recycle
Take advantage of what is happening to do new things, reinvent yourself, study, read…become a new person by starting to transform your habits. Look for new hobbies and concerns, rethink your goals and priorities.
3. Take the opportunity to do what you normally don’t have time to do
Many times we complained about not having time to do a lot of things, now you have the opportunity to do everything you have always wanted, but for which you did not have time.
4. Adapt your hobbies to the new situation
Although there are more and more restrictions when it comes to doing things, and there are even some that we can no longer do, It is important that we continue to dedicate time to leisure.
5. Take care of your health and emotions, practice mental hygiene
Try to carry out healthy habits, taking care of your diet and sleep, and practice physical exercise. When you talk to other people, try to talk about topics other than the pandemic or COVID-19. Avoid arguing or entering into conflict on political issues with some people, accepting that there is a disagreement and talking about other different topics that you do have in common.
6. Maintain relationships with others, do not isolate yourself
It is true that there is a virus that is transmitted from person to person, so social relationships have become a risk factor. But not having them is also.
7. Detox from the news and use critical judgment
The political situation we are experiencing is so unstable and changing that there is no other choice but to be up to date with the new regulations that are being established, but get the right information, without obsessing.
8. Stop seeing the other as an enemy
We are all in the same boat and we are all, although in different ways, affected by this situation. Make sure the fight is against the real enemy, that is, the virus, not against the rest of the people who, like you, do what they can to cope with the situation. Instead of monitoring their behaviors and habits, focus more on cultivating your inner self.
9. Seek professional help
If you see that the situation is overwhelming you and you cannot handle it alone, consider going to therapy in order to develop new resources and tools that will help you face the situation in the best possible way and prevent it from ending. “taking a toll on you” in the long run.