After a year of watching Covid wreak havoc on the world, we are all faced with a serious consideration. What is worse at this point, the virus or the resulting personal cost of the lockdowns, including: lost jobs, closed businesses, and the disappearance of many freedoms we have enjoyed in the past?
For starters, we have to acknowledge these questions on a personal level, and start to take inventory. What have we done to take better care of ourselves? Have we been struggling too long alone? Do we lack the resources to support family members that are fighting depression, anxiety or loneliness? Do we lack the resources to even care for ourselves properly, let alone our families?
These are critical items to address because there’s no reason anyone should suffer alone and too many of us are. There are multitudes of resources available to us and often they are much easier to access than we believe.
For those who have dealt directly with the virus itself, we all know the mental health impact that alone has had. No one expected this to be unleashed in such a reckless way or to have such devastating effects on so many levels. We need to be asking ourselves if we have really considered the impact it has had on us, and what we should do about it.
We can also ask ourselves when the last time was we really had fun or felt really good about something that happened in our lives. Maybe we have to get creative with this one and start thinking outside the box about ways we can generate more feelings of positivity.
This is important to address because our minds are incredibly powerful. Whatever we tell them, they will believe because they only take in information and then process it. Interestingly enough, a lot of that information actually comes from our hearts.
A great example of this is the experience you would have going to a Tony Robbins event. If you’ve ever been to one, you know you spend almost 14 hours on your feet, and a lot of that time you’re jumping! It sounds painful, but when you’re there, you have so much positive energy, you hardly notice until your legs feel like rubber the third day. That’s because your state becomes so positive, you don’t even think about the discomfort.
The significance of this is apparent now that we have seen the effects of the shut downs. People are suffering because the information (emotions) from their heart are affecting their thinking. At a certain point, we struggle to retain a healthy perspective without the proper tools.
So, what are some of the tools we can access?
Heart Math
The Heart Math Institute has stepped up to the plate to offer free videos during this time to help people better process their thoughts and emotions using the power of heart coherence.
Heart coherence, as described by The Heart Math Institute is, “…the state when the heart, mind and emotions are in energetic alignment and cooperation.”
These are powerful tools that can help us connect to our hearts in healthier ways and experience life. These tools will help you to experience a deeper of calm, release anxiety, provide you with healthy ways to approach stressful situations, and have more stable relationships.
Energy Workers
Although most alternative health care providers, including acupuncturists, massage therapists and Chinese Medicine practitioners, have gained recognition in mainstream culture more recently, there are still many powerful practitioners that utilize other highly effective modalities.
One great example of the is EFT, which is now used by many traditional therapists and counselors, and was instituted by the government for use with veterans returning home with PTSD. According to one NIH study, almost 90% of veterans no longer met the criteria for PTSD after 6 sessions. I ultimately decided to become a practitioner after realizing the power of this modality to heal from the trauma in my own life. And while EFT is just one tool you can use, there are many that can serve to support you and help you release negative energies from your body.
Local Churches
Whether you are religious or not, you should always consider seeking assistance from your local churches or synagogues. Local churches often have lists of community resource centers, and even other churches, that provide mental health support to member of their community. In many cases you can find a mental health professional in your area at little to no cost. Some churches also provide classes or other spiritual support, so this is worth checking into as well. Although churches themselves don’t typically have much money, they do have connections and know who to put you in touch with.
One More Takeaway
One more critical thing to remember is that we are powerful. We are powerful as individuals and as a collective. We have the power to turn the tide if we take these issues seriously and start to support ourselves and others as we progress through the after effects of the past year.
Despite the challenges we are facing, we are also being given an opportunity to change the way we do things and eliminate behaviors and systems that no longer serve us. This is true for us personally, but also as communities and on a global scale. We no longer get to avoid the impact of what is happening, how it affects us all and what kind of future we are creating. We now know we have to take steps to start making mental health a priority for ourselves and each other. These changes will prove to be the source of our evolution and survival and we have the power to shape them however we choose.