Hello, guys. I've been hibernating again. I think I've been afraid to write. I used to write all the time, and now anxiety seems to get in the way a lot more often. In any event, I'm here. I check the blog's emails, comments, etc. daily. I just haven't been active. And I apologize again for that. Anyway, I'm here to talk about COVID-19. I know I've already done a post on this, but today, I'm here to talk about coping with stress and toxicity during this period.
In the past few months, I've been taking care of my father, starting back with school, and still working full-time. If you aren't familiar with my past, my father and I don't have the best relationship. He's been my abuser for my whole life. Anyway, he got hurt at the end of July. Originally, it was just thought to be a sprained ankle. However, it turned out to be basically shattered, therefore, my initial "couple days" of helping him turned into months. I've been handling his finances, arranging for a porch to be built for him, working with my siblings on finding him care for when he gets out of the nursing home, etc. It's been exhausting.
During this, it is seemingly impossible to put up any boundaries with him, yet, I've surprised myself. I've been able to keep some boundaries up, but it's still insanely difficult. My anxiety has been sky high and I've been battling some pretty negative thoughts over the last few months.
Along with a toxic relationship with a family member, there's been lots of stress as a result of quarantine. It's been stressful being home all of the time with my partner, as much as I love him. I'm also a teacher so that in itself is a really stressful career to be in currently. It's stressful that we just started returning to in-person learning two weeks ago, even though our school has a hybrid plan of return and we'll only be in-person twice a week. It's stressful to consider there may be cuts in education because of COVID. It's been equally stressful to be a student. Yeah, I registered for classes and I'm on track to graduate with my Associate's Degree after this semester! It's insanely stressful to think about juggling work, school, and life during COVID. It's stressful to just be human right now.
So, here's the question. How can we manage that stress and avoid or handle toxicity during this time? That's the question of the year. When so much is out of our control, how can we control the little we have left?
First off, I want to say how proud I am of each and every one of you. No matter who you are, you have overcome something since March of this year. Whether it be something you do on a daily basis or something you just learned to you. You overcame something. You overcame stress, negative thoughts, toxicity, doubts, challenges, etc. And you're here. So, I'm proud of you.
Now, let's get to the nitty-gritty. Lately, I've been hibernating, which I really shouldn't be, but I'm working on it. I've started checking in with myself, deep breathing, and focusing on myself. For the last few months, I've been completely and totally overwhelmed. I took a huge step and took half a week off of work last month. I've never done that before, except for being sick. It didn't alleviate all of the stress, but it definitely helped a lot.
Another favorite new thing that I've started doing to help is listening to music. I've been putting on relaxing music playlists on YouTube on repeat throughout the day. It's been pretty soothing for me and has helped to keep me a little less on edge.
The most important thing is to remember that you've got this! We've got this! We've been home for a LONG time. We've had to face demons we forgot existed. We've had to adjust to wearing face coverings at work all day and learning/teaching through Zoom. We've had SO MANY adjustments and changes over such a short period of time. It is completely normal for us to feel even more overwhelmed than usual. It's extremely hard, I get that totally. But, we can do this.
I put together a little checklist of things for you guys to try that may be able to help with coping and anxiety. Let me know what works for you!
Take time off of work (if you are able to, of course)
Set aside at least an hour per day, or less if needed, to do something you don’t get to do very often. For me, it’s been reading.
Be sure to stay hydrated! It’s been a lifesaver for me.
Spend some time while working, doing homework, or doing chores listening to some happy music
I’ve been putting on instrumental, relaxing music and just having it play throughout the day
Try out yoga or exercise!
I haven’t gotten to this one yet, but it’s on my schedule. I’ll be starting to try this next week!
Call a good friend, or family member, at least a couple of times a week to share good news or exciting things!
Stay Strong and Stay Safe! Love,
Aylin
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1- 800-799-7233
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255); www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Suicide Prevention, Awareness, and Support: www.suicide.org
Lifeline Crisis Chat: https://www.contact-usa.org/chat.html
Crisis Text Line: Text REASON to 741741 (free, confidential and 24/7)
Self-Harm Hotline: 1-800-DONT CUT (1-800-366-8288)
Family Violence Helpline: 1-800-996-6228
Planned Parenthood Hotline: 1-800-230-PLAN (7526)
National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependency: 1-800-622-2255
The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 678678. Standard text messaging rates apply. Available 24/7/365. (Provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning—LGBTQ—young people under 25.)
Veterans Crisis Line: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net
(The above resources are obtained from https://www.psycom.net/get-help-mental-health )
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