While there is no way to prevent sadness, difficulty, or pain in life, there are steps you can do to help calm the waters and restore control. Resilience is defined as the ability to cope with loss, change, and trauma, which have always been part of life, even before these remarkable times. Building resilience can assist you in better adapting to life-changing events, coping with adversity, and recovering from catastrophe.
The globe appears to be lurching from one crisis to the next lately. We’ve seen a worldwide pandemic, significant changes in how we live our lives, economic instability, political and social unrest, and a slew of natural calamities. People are also struggling with personal tragedies such as the death of a loved one, deteriorating health, unemployment, divorce, violent crime, or terrible accidents. This is a period of extraordinary strife and change for many of us.
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Whether your life has been disrupted by a global disaster, a personal tragedy, or both, going through terrible times may have a significant impact on your attitude, health, and outlook. Stress and worry may make you feel helpless and overwhelmed.
- Keep yourself up to date. Get the most up-to-date information from reputable and trustworthy sources. Recommendations that are up to date and accurate can be discovered.
- Limit your exposure to the media. If the television or text messaging on your phone is making you feel worse, turn it off. Media exposure may be beneficial or harmful; for some people, knowing helps them feel in control of their circumstances, while for others, it can increase worry and terror. Excessive media exposure to coverage of stressful situations has been proven in studies to have harmful consequences. Use reputable sites to acquire the information you need, then switch it off if it’s causing you stress.
- Anticipate how you’ll react to stress. In the face of uncertainty and possibly life-threatening conditions, emotional anguish is natural and normal.
- Recognize distressing symptoms. Stress can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including physical, emotional, and cognitive manifestations. A sense of invincibility and/or emotional detachment are frequent responses among young adults, and these feelings might lead to risky behaviours.
- Educate yourself on anything from simple hand-washing techniques to cough etiquette to more complicated medical preventative, diagnostic, and treatment advice.
- When sharing your fears and concerns with loved ones, remember that your sentiments are normal and that others may be experiencing them as well. If you’re lonely, try new ways to communicate with your friends and family. For support, reach out to those you care about the most.
- Make a schedule of enjoyable activities. Even if you don’t feel like it, do activities that you enjoy. Simple approaches to assist control emotions include listening to music, exercising, practising breathing routines, relaxation strategies, mindfulness, spending time in nature or with animals, writing, or reading inspiring literature.
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Having a distant or numb feeling to alleviate distress, use a variety of tactics. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with stress. The tactics that work for you will be unique to you; what works for one person may not work for another. It is critical to persevere and attempt new things. Some strategies to consider are:
Being ready (for example, creating a personal/family plan).
Excessive concern, unable to stop thinking about what happened is another frequent emotion.
Sleeping Problems: Having difficulty falling or staying asleep
Ruminating
Getting up to check the news or check on family members is hypervigilance.
Relaxation is difficult.
Tension in the muscles
Feel tense or agitated
Increased use of alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs
Irritability accompanied by emotional outbursts
Desire to be alone/communication difficulties
Frequently crying
Inability to enjoy oneself
Spend time in prayer, meditation, or assisting others to rejuvenate your spirit.
Consume a nutritious and well-balanced diet.
Make sure you get adequate sleep every night. We know that sleep is restorative because it helps with anxiety, learning, problem-solving, and allowing the brain to relax. Sleep deprivation, even for brief durations, can be problematic.
Exercise as often as possible for overall health and to aid with stress reduction.
If at all possible, keep to your routine.
