he feeling of control is in short supply nowadays and it’s taking a toll on our mental wellbeing. Major issues like anxiety, depression, and burnout are making their way into our home and it could all be because we’re losing grip on what we feel like we have the ability to change. Here are some expert tips for getting control back in your life during these uncertain times.
- Reframe your thinking. Licensed marriage and family therapist Kathleen Dahlen deVos says to ask yourself three questions any time you feel anxious:
- What is my intention at this moment?
- What actions would I like to take right now?
- How can I respond to this trigger/event/pain/uncomfortable emotion?
These questions make you focus on your intentions, actions and responses rather than your fight-or-flight instincts, and get you to a calmer place to make decisions.
- Lend a helping hand. If you feel like you can’t help yourself, help someone else instead. It could be something as big as community cleanup or something as small as donating blood. Creating positive change could be the spark you’re looking for to improve your attitude.
- Do a project with your hands.Get those hands out of your beer fridge and onto some crafts. According to Dahlen deVos, “doing projects with our hands can act as a form of mindfulness which is very regulating for the nervous system and can soothe the emotions.”Who knew that playing with Legos was essentially meditation.
Find more tips on taking back controlHERE.
Source:HuffPost