Some Ways of Getting Through All of This

​​In the course of years, I (Charles) have been through a number of difficult periods, personally and with quite a number of clients. The following are a number of ways that might assist you.

Take it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. Don’t look too far ahead.

Don’t obsess with the news or with other things. Listen or watch on a regular basis, but not constantly.

Concentrate on the task that you are doing at the moment, to the exclusion of the rest of the world.
You can think about the rest of the world later.

Devise a routine and a schedule for yourself, this for each day.

Find a goal for yourself in this period, something that you have wanted to do but usually would not have the time to do. This could be taking an online course, reading something, writing, doing something else creative, etc. Doing this, you might discover new things that you might not have thought of in the past.

Give yourself points of light during the day, that is, points to which to look forward.

Do something you like for at least a half hour every day. If you can, schedule several such periods. This can be anything – eating, writing, drawing, cooking, listening to music, playing with an animal, etc.

Find a way of getting your feelings out, this on a very regular basis, at least once a day and more if you can. You can do this through writing, drawing, playing music, or any other kind of creativity. This is extremely important. 

Do some physical activity or exercise, even if it’s simple, like running in place, pushups, situps, etc. While you shouldn’t push yourself too hard, getting things circulating in your body and getting some additional oxygen into your cells is useful. You also can build this up, a little more each day. Dare we say it, but you can maintain this once this period is over.

With regard to corona, physical separation does not have to mean social separation. Keep in touch with other people through Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, telephone, etc. If you are a member of an organization, suggest that they have online meetings. Suggest the same to your religious body, if you are religious. Having regular meetings with people also provides you with points of light to which to look forward, as described above. You might even find new things and new interests with the people with whom you’re communicating in this way.

In a similar context, assisting other people also can assist you. Listening to other people and facilitating them getting out their feelings also makes you feel good.

Remember that, just as all things, this too shall pass.  

​If you have other things to add to these survival mechanisms, let us know. We’ll revise them.
 
We wish you the best.