A Turning Point, COVID-19 and Getting Back to Happy

March 2020 was a turning point.

“Stay at home, and only leave the house for essentials. No visitation of family or friends, and work from home if you can.” 

Millions were fired or furloughed all over the world, millions of square feet of rental space were made vacant. Children were homeschooled, teachers began to teach from home. Therapists, coaches, and group sessions all went virtual.

Surgeries…better not need any serious medical treatment, as COVID-19 consumed the resources in hospitals.

Millions of people struggled to feed their families or keep their homes. 

We all adapted to the environment with more or less ease.

Some people have had a harder time adjusting because they don’t know how to create a new environment for themselves. Many of us have built up some level of fear depending on our circumstances. One thing is for sure, all of us have developed some level of “hypervigilance” during this time, depending on the consequences experienced during this time and whether we eased into the new environment or collapsed into it. It's true, people right now are calling themselves to be less happy than ever before, collectively, according to this data from the General Social Survey. This data has been collected annually since 1972.

Now let's talk about Hypervigilance,  an effect of trauma that causes actual changes in the brain. Knowing if you have suffered trauma during this time is vital to address it before it turns into a more severe version of it. How can you know if you have suffered trauma during this time?  Read more about the Suppression of Emotions here.

Deflection by numbing

• Drinking more than usual.
• Eating comfort food.
• Self-medicating with street drugs

Occupying your mind with something time-consuming

• Watching TV or Social media for hours
• Working on projects obsessively
• Wronging others

Affected imagination

• Not knowing how to be productive

Failure of imagination

• No idea how to start over again
• Incapacity to create a new project

Loss of mental flexibility

• Single-sided thinking 
• Get into arguments easier

Reality distortion.

• Thinking the worst will happen to you
• Hypochondria
  • Want to review your brain's basic needs?  Click Here

Body hypervigilant

• Physical tension
• Easily rattled 
• Twitching
• Lack of Sleep (Get Tips on Better Sleep, Tonight)

If you check one or more of these boxes you have some level of trauma. Here are a few things you can do to tune down hypervigilance when it is not needed.

Re-connect to others having genuine conversations

• Focus on today for a better tomorrow
• Do NOT talk negatively about all that is wrong in the world
• Inspire others to do their best thinking positively
• Be selective about the people you choose to hang out with

Body experiences to contradict the trauma

• Massage
• Hugging loved ones
• Exercise
• Sex
• Self-care in general

Keep your mind busy being productive

• Have a well-organized schedule
• Create a mastermind group with people alike to you
• Ask someone you admire to be your mentor
• Study something every day that inspires you
• Take a certification course online like DNS

I trust you will consider the many ways that our programs and learning opportunities are here for you.  What sounds like a good place to start?

Taking an action step is the absolute best way to break free from feeling isolated.  

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I am here to support you,

~Gemi