We at Encouragers Counseling & Training Centers and Encouragers Family Counseling want to ensure you that we consider your safety and well being our top priority. We offer our clients a clean office setting with hand sanitizers readily available in every room. We have always offered Telehealth as an option to face-to-face therapy and would like to remind you how easy it is to contact our office or your mental health provider to request Telehealth. We are concerned about both your physical health as well as your mental health.
The first thing I address when helping people who say their lives are spinning out of control, is to help them find balance. We are more than just physical beings, we have mental processes and spiritual beliefs that help us feel and remain balanced. The current situation with the Covid-19 CoronaVirus outbreak and the subsequent political reactions and policies have us spinning out of control, wondering when it will stop, and what will be the fallout.
Let's take a minute to view what is happening through the lens of imbalance:
Physically: We are all afraid of getting sick and dying, so we stop working out, taking care of ourselves, and sit in front of the TV, XBox, or Laptop.
Mentally: Fear drives us to fixate, ruminate, and speculate on the "what ifs."
Spiritually: We are either forgetting our faith or we never had any. We begin to let our minds run and fantasize about worse case scenarios that increase our anxiety. The sky is falling, the end of the world is here, and there really is a wolf.
Let's look at how to bring balance back to your life:
Physically: Do what you know to be right. Wash your hands, avoid sick people, cover your mouth when you cough, and if you are sick, stay home and in bed. If you are able, do some type of physical activity: Go for a walk, ride a bike, do yoga, or Tai Che.Stay away from alcohol, drugs, and other unhealthy forms of coping. Keep your body healthy and it will help your mind stay healthy as well.
Mentally: Keep your therapy sessions with your therapist. If you desire, connect over the phone or via HIPPA compliant video conference. Isolation can only increase your reliance on the media for support and can increase your fears. Talk about your fears in session and return to a place of balance.
Spiritually: Most churches, synagogs, and temples have video live-streaming or audio available. You can even turn on the radio and listen to your favorite speaker, or download a podcast to help bring calm back to your spirt. Call a friend. Socialize with others and don't feed into their unbalance, but bring clarity, hope, and faith to others who are spinning out of control.
Whatever anxiety and fear you are feeling and feeding into is causing your children to be fearful as well. The true epidemic is the emotions that are being driven by irrational fears created by the media and politicians. Don't forget this is an election year. Listen to the doctors who have only your health in mind.
"Test all things; hold fast what is good."
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)
Encouragers Counseling & Training Centers and Encouragers Family Counseling is here for you. Give us a call, and if you need more than your once a week sessions to help you find balance, talk with your mental health provider about receiving additional coverage. Let's stop spinning out of control, decrease the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and return to a place of balance.