Taking Things Day By Day
Perplexed about how to take things day by day in this weird new world. I have top 4 tips to help you along the way:
1. Have self-care goals that are specific, measurable, and achievable to you.
“These self-care goals don’t have to be super complicated—they can be as easy as sending a few text messages to our friends and family members, doing a 15-minute workout, watching a TV show, or eating something sweet we really enjoy. “This is important for encouraging a sense that the present matters and can have important rewards.”
Treat your self-care practices, like a reward you enjoy, because taking out the yoga mat is not a treat for all people. Be honest with yourself about the difference between what you feel like you should do and what you want to do.
2. Practice appreciation
Practice appreciation in whatever way you see fit. Those who are quarantining in groups, consider making a group appreciation jar by writing on small pieces of paper each day about what you appreciate. And if you’re by yourself, try to make a habit before bed of writing down something from the day that you enjoyed. Doing so may send you off to sleep with a sense of positivity.
3. Notice your moment-by-moment experience
Be mindful of the world around you especially the small features that make your current day feel lovely. For example, notice experiences such as the sun, being with a loved one, or even noticing flowers in the yard. Be mindful and take in of all the things around you.
4. Work to embrace uncertainty
To some degree we all feel a need to predict the future, which is not a bad inclination. In any case, having goals and an idea of where you expect to be can provide for a sense of direction and control, but the need can skew extreme and counterproductive especially now with what is going on with COVID-19.
By preoccupying on wanting to forsee and control everything, we only get more anxious, and as a result one might feel out of control. One way to manage this better is by learning to let go of this need to forsee and control—to be okay with some things being uncertain. And this applies beyond the COVID-19 situation that we are currently going through.