OK! So it’s manic out there. Well – actually it’s not! It’s manic at home. We are in lockdown at the minute. Or as I like to call it HIBERNATION … it feels less ‘brutal’.
We’re all out clapping for the NHS, online shopping and trying to navigate self isolation with our ‘Nearest and Dearest’.
If you looked at many a household, you’d see :
a ) Kids trying to occupy themselves – now that he novelty of homeschooling and having Mum and/or Dad at home for the foreseeable future has worn off.
b ) Teenagers struggling to come to terms with the fact that then only people they can have a face-to-face conversation with, are their parents.
c ) Parents struggling with a) and b) and possibly trying to hold down a job at the same time. Failing that, many parents have been furloughed and that adds to the challenges that many families are already facing.
So how do we cope with all this? How do we resist the arguments and the meltdowns? It’s hard not to buckle under the pressures. Not only are we being forced so spend hours on end at home (who’d have thought?) … but there is no end in sight – not in the sort term anyway.
Well, I have a little trick up my sleeve.
“It’s hard to have a negative thought when you are smiling.
Fake it till you make it.
So when you are next feeling overwhelmed with all the COVID Stresses & Strains ( I know, I know – the last thing you want to do is smile – but trust me here ) then follow this little Stress Buster Exercise …
1 ) Place a pencil or a pen in your mouth – between gritted teeth
2 ) Make sure that your lips are stretched tight `cross your teeth – a bit like this.
3 ) You are basically smiling with a pencil in your mouth
4 ) Hold this for about a minute.
The Sciency Bit : Your Unconscious Mind does not really understand the difference between reality and make-believe. So it automatically assumes that you are smiling and as a result it releases more of the happy-hormone.
Now, I’m not sure exactly which one it is : the most popular ones are endorphins, dopamine and serotonin. But who cares what the name is? So long as it works.
Anyway your body will start to feel more relaxed as it’s being flooded with these chemicals. Cool eh?
Now I am not promising that you will attack family life with the vigour of Ma Walton (OK so I’m showing my age) – but this little exercise might just shake off those stressy feelings; allowing you to approach the next few weeks with a bit more positivity and a sprinkling of optimism.
In the meantime – take good care of yourselves and Stay Safe..
This comes, as always with Much Love 💕
If however, you are struggling, I can help. If you feel that you might need a little more assistance and maybe feel that learning more coping strategies like this one could improve your life, then please give me a call – I can help.
