For some people home isn’t a safe haven. I know. In the course of my professional life, I encountered and cared for many women, men and children who experienced abuse in their homes. Their stories came to mind, earlier today, as I meditated and took in the beauty of my surroundings. I was watching five goldfinches bickering over access to the feeder and boom, just like that I connected to some stored away memories.
Why write about it? I’m writing because we need to talk about it. We all agree that the added stressors brought on by this pandemic are bringing out our best and worst selves and everything in between.
What can we do about it?
It would be wise to keep ourselves in check
- Are you…
- … growing impatient and irritable?
- … snapping at people? Getting short-fused?
- … becoming rude?
- … isolating, feeling unfit for human interactions?
We need to protect ourselves and our kids
- Are you …
- … walking on egg shells?
- … hyper alert, constantly trying to anticipate someone else’s needs to help keep the peace?
- … feeling triggered?
- Sometimes highly stressful situations bring back unresolved past experiences and make it more difficult to cope with the current situation.
- … worried about your safety or the safety of your kids?
- … worried about how your kids are coping?
- … wishing you had someone else to think with?
We need to be on the look out for people who need help
- Are you …
- … disengaging from the people around you, worried about getting in the middle of something?
- … trying to convince yourself that something not right is none of your business?
Help is available!
It is important to restore the balance; level the scale. Imagine on one side of this scale all the stuff which contributes to raising the stress level and on the other side of that scale all which helps us cope and thrive.
We can positively affect the balance in two ways. We can work to decrease some of what is in the stress side and we can increase what is in the coping side.
As an Nurse Practitioner, I have the knowledge and experience to help you with decreasing your stress and improving your resilience:
- Together we can figure out a way to safety.
- Together we can equip you to deal with those in your life who are not coping well.
- Together we can affect what is in your scale and restore some form of equilibrium.
Become your best self, not your worst! It is possible.
Worried about finding some privacy?
We can talk over via a video conferencing platform or over the phone. Whether you are sitting in your car or walking around the block, reach out! We’ll figure out “the how” together.
Are you anticipating many barriers? Have you got many questions? Book a free introduction session to see if we can work them out together.
photo credit Lucas VanOort
Even Keel Health 