Many friends have told me that because of Covid-19, things were tough for them right now. Pandemic-related stress and anxiety is building up in society and industry. It is all right to feel sad at these challenging times. Still, you need to realize that you are not alone in facing worldwide suffering mentally, socially, and financially. Problems can sometimes be opportunities. Never give up on yourself or on the future, no matter how difficult the situation becomes. The most critical strategy to fight the crisis is to take care of your well-being first. Self-pity or self-criticism usually results in depression, anxiety, stress, and other serious mental health issues. It is time to shift how you feel about yourself and others, and even how you communicate with yourself.
Please try the following steps to prevent self-judgment and self-criticism, lift your inner strengths, build confidence, and enhance self-compassion and loving-kindness:
1. Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness helps you to look for your inner strength and self-endorsement. Mindfulness meditation silences your thought processes and your body while remaining conscious of the present removing judgment, resentment, or critique. Mindfulness meditation starts with self-compassion and loving-kindness towards yourself. During mindfulness meditation, your thoughts and feelings flow freely without denying, attaching, or suppressing them. You will learn to recognize your feelings and let them go intuitively.
2. Be Thankful
Being grateful is the most powerful tool to increase your resilience, eliminate resentment, control your mood, and kindle positive energy. Appreciation can improve your overall well-being and your relationships. When you feel down with low spirits, please think about those you want to express gratitude towards for their support. Please recall memorable experiences that previously brought you positive emotion. If you have time, write down at least five daily blessings to boost thinking of yourself with self-compassion and kindness.
3. Develop a Flexible Mindset
Most people have a fixed mindset and struggle to change how they see themselves and the world. So, trying a more open-minded approach to the future is vital to enjoying a happier and more successful life. A flexible mindset helps you see difficulties or challenges as opportunities to grow and develop. Therefore, you must have the courage to overcome challenges without trying to avoid them.
4. Learn to Forgive Yourself and Others
It is time to stop punishing yourself for the mistakes you have made in the past. It is time to stop judging yourself for your past failures. It is time to forgive yourself and others no matter what happened before. It is time to accept that, along with everyone else, you are not perfect. Do not wait for others to help you understand community, humanity, shared shortcomings, and our limitations as humans. Please be kind to yourself and tell yourself loudly that you deserve unconditional love and compassion when facing challenges.
5. Assure Yourself with Hope
Never give up hope because tomorrow will always be better. Practice daily self-dialogue with positive statements about yourself assuring a hopeful future. You can use inspirational affirmations to encourage your inner thoughts that welcome self-kindness and self-acceptance. Develop a habit of repeating daily affirmations to develop your subconscious and conscious mind with a positive attitude toward yourself and others.
To Be Continued.