The pandemic has impacted people’s lives in so many ways, with mental health being one of the key areas. There’s so much to feel stressed and anxious about, whether that’s money worries, poor health, home schooling, work pressure or missing loved ones. So what can we do to try and get our lives back on track? Here are some tips to help you along the way.

Identify your feelings

Don’t bury any negative feels you have as they’re likely to rear their ugly head at some point and most likely when you’re feeling most vulnerable. Instead think about how you are feeling and why you are feeling like this. Being aware of your feelings and thinking about what may trigger them can help greatly.

Talk about your feelings

Is there someone you can talk to? It often helps to put your feelings into words and just talking through them with family, friends and colleagues can be very beneficial. Being able to express your feelings may help you understand them better.

Write your feelings down

Often the process of writing down how you feel will help you release some of the anxiety and it may even help clarify why you are feeling the way you are. You could keep a notebook with you to write your feelings down or even start a diary where you can really express yourself.

Think positive

This can often be challenging when you are feeling down, but just sit and think about the things that make you happy. Have you started doing different things during lockdown? Maybe reading, walking, looking at nature, cooking, gardening or baking? There are always positives, no matter how small. Enjoy and take pleasure from the simple things in life, like the sun shining, having a cup of tea or watching the flowers bloom.

Distract yourself

Try and distract yourself when you’re not feeling positive. Maybe go for a walk or a bath, call a friend or cook something. Use a change of scene to distract yourself and calm the negative feelings.

Build resources

Have a list of things to hand that help you feel better – a phone call to a friend, listening to music, eating some delicious food, doing some exercise or meditating. You can then draw on these resources in times of need.

Manage expectations

Be realistic, you will have good and bad days, but the key is to build on the good days so they outweigh the bad ones. Be kind to yourself and use all your tools and resources to support you.

Plan and look ahead

Start planning for the good times ahead. Meeting family or friends, getting back to work, going out for a meal or to the gym or going on holiday. Plan away and have happy things to look forward to.

How we can help

We can help alleviate stress, anxiety and negative feelings, and instead support you to view your situation in a more positive light, learning how to adopt strategies to help you live a better and happier life.

Our multi-disciplined team works together to deliver a sensitive and accurate diagnosis with an effective treatment plan for fast recovery.

Our team is here to support you through this difficult period so please do contact us on 01772 725530 or email therapy@thetherapycompany.co.uk and we can discuss how we can help you.