As the world watches with bated breath where the next coronavirus outbreak will be, are you feeling stuck in a negative space?
It’s not surprising when we look at recent headlines. While they can be informative, they are also meant to grab attention. These ongoing updates can cause us to elicit reactions that are out of character, such as being more snide or snappy in our responses, losing patience more often, or feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and fear.
When you’re surrounded by stress, taking a step back to analyze where you are can help provide calm. Once we recognize where we’re at, we can take steps to help our brain move from the fight, flight or freeze response and start processing information to help ourselves feel safer.
The CDC has published prevention tips to help us remain healthy. We would recommend that you also take some time to focus on your own emotional well-being during this stressful time. Here are some tips that can help you promote resilience and inner calm:
- Take intentional time for yourself: sleep, exercise, relax, breathe and eat healthy.
- Be aware of what triggers negative responses so you can prepare for these situations through self-talk, meditation, prayer or mindfulness.
- Practice optimism and gratitude. Shifting your focus to these thoughts can help your brain feel safer and calmer and boost your resilience during these trying times.
- While following the recommendations for social distancing, it’s also important to reach out to others via the phone and social media. This can help reduce feelings of isolation and build a sense of community, which can help us increase our resilience.
- Laughter really is the best medicine, as it releases endorphins, boosts the immune system and decreases stress hormones. Check out this article for additional details.
For more information on building personal resilience, managing critical incident responses or to schedule a training for your team, please contact FEI.