Finding Peace In Uncertain Times

Let’s face it: 2020 hasn’t been the year we expected. It’s been a metaphorical car crash after car crash, and we’re only just over halfway through. If you’re feeling a bit stressed, have a sense of dread or maybe feel a little unsafe – even in your own skin – don’t worry, it’s completely normal, says psychotherapist Dr Laurie Nadel

- Dr Laurie Nadel

The good news is that acute stress usually resolves in time, says Dr Laurie Nadel, writing in a new book compiled by Steph Adams. However, adds Nadel, there are a few ways to help manage your feelings in times of uncertainty and change.

FIND YOUR INNER PEACE

Fear is a comorbid infection that damages our immune system and can overload our health, explains Nadel, and finding your calm is essential for surviving in a climate of fear. She suggests setting aside five minutes a day to go to your place of ‘inner safety’. This is a private space where only you can go. Close your eyes and ask your mind to take you back to a place and time when you remember feeling relaxed and safe. Make a fist and – as you tighten your fist – allow those good, warm feelings of calm and safety to build until they reach a peak and fade away like a chord of music. Open your eyes and release your fist. To get back to your place of inner safety, make that fist and say, “Take me back.”

FOCUS ON YOUR DIET

What we consume every day can have a profound effect on us physically and mentally, and Nadel says that during times of stress it’s more important than ever to choose healthy food and avoid sugar, junk food, alcohol and caffeine. She also advises not eating alone or at your desk. Instead, have a virtual dinner party or meet a colleague for lunch. If you have to eat by yourself, turn away from your television and computer screens and look out the window to greenery. This ability to choose what you eat and where you eat it will help you regain a small sense of control.