Emotions All Over The Place? Try This...
I don’t know about you but my emotions are all over the place right now. I live in California and we are entering week four of “shelter in place”. I didn’t initially think that staying home would be that big of a deal. I’ve been working from home for over three years now and figured “no big deal”. But it is a big deal.
The easy adjustment was having my husband home with me every day. We quickly figured out where he would set up his office in the house. We got into a lovely routine of having lunch together and generally just “went back to work” albeit from home. However, as time at home continues to get extended, the adjustment has become harder.
Here’s what’s happening. I have crazy brain. I can’t remember what day of the week it is. I have a hard time focusing. And I feel lonely and isolated even though my husband is home with me. I think it’s because we aren’t allowed to do things we used to take for granted. And each day seeps into the next with no real way to make them feel different.
Is it just me or is this happening to you too?
Never one to just take this lying down or not try to do something about it, I’m trying three things that seem to be helping and I thought I’d share them with you in case you find them helpful.
#1 Don’t judge your emotions, acknowledge them
When I wake up in the morning, I have no idea how the day is going to go. It might be a fine day or it might not. I never really know. The best thing that seems to be helping is for me not to judge. Not to think that there is something wrong with me because I’m feeling a certain way. To kinda go with the flow of the emotion and just be with it.
Exercise helps so if I’m feeling particularly depressed or sad, I’ll go for a walk. I’m pretty sure that we’re going to have to wear face masks whenever we leave the house, whether we are sick or not. But that hasn’t happened yet and the sun on my face and the breeze wafting through my hair feels fantastic. BTW - my hair is longer than it’s been in a long time. And it’s gonna get longer. Oh well…
#2 Stay connected, virtually, with more than just phone calls
What really does help a lot is staying connected with my family, friends and creative community. My biggest “aha” here is that connecting via zoom video conference calls makes a huge difference in terms of how I feel afterwards. Why is that? I think it’s because on a zoom video conference I can see my family, friends and creative community. I can hear your voice. I can see your face and your surroundings. We can talk back and forth.
While the communication that Facebook allows, through comments and LIVE broadcasts, is great, it’s not the same thing. As we stay sheltered at home for longer periods of time, actually hearing people’s voices and seeing them is becoming more and more important.
I started Creative Gatherings via zoom three weeks ago and they help me keep a sense of routine going. More importantly, they help me stay connected with YOU. Join them. Tuesdays at 9am PST - California time and Thursdays at 1pm PST - California time. You have to email me for the links because these are private and I don’t want anyone “zoom bombing” us. Funny, not funny.
If you’re not comfortable with zoom, join me every Wednesday on my Facebook page, Anne LaFollette Art, and we’ll connect there. I’m LIVE every Wednesday at noon PST - California time. I’d love for you to join me.
#3 Write down one thing every day that you can control (like what you’ll eat for breakfast!)
This one might seem silly but we humans do like control. I wrote two weeks ago about finding a routine and leaning into that right now because it can bring a small bit of “normal” back into your life at the moment. Writing down 2-3 things that you can control each day has a similar effect. Give it a try?
I’ll leave you with one more thought, which I learned from Tony Robbins. I don’t remember exactly how he put it but it goes something like this:
“What you focus on is how you’ll feel.”
If for example, you are still binge watching the news, you’re going to feel absolutely awful. And those feelings will be hard to shake off over the course of the day or evening. If, on the other hand, you turn on some music or cook a delicious meal, or better yet cook a delicious meal while blasting great music which is what I like to do, you’ll feel entirely different.
#staysafe #sayhealthy #togetherathome #artistsinresidence
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
