What You Might Need, Depending on How You're Feeling

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As a therapist with an ongoing social media presence, I've been finding new ways to connect with my audience and make sure my skills serve my community. This translates to more frequent Instagram lives, practical posts and articles, and easy and accessible mental health information for the public.

During one of my most recent live broadcasts, I spoke about connecting with your feelings and with your body so you can start to track a way to take care of your emotions and inner world. A person listening to the broadcast asked me: "What happens when we don't know how we're feeling? What can we do?" And it wasn't until that question that it occurred to me: How will we know what we need if we don't know how we feel?

So, that is my motivation for this article. It's not meant to limit or constrict the vast amount of resources that can help soothe our anxiety, stress, and uncertainty right now. On the contrary, it can be used as an introductory guide for anyone struggling to name their feelings right now, and maybe clear the path towards tracking their emotional needs during these troubling times.

If you're feeling overwhelmed

This might mean that your central nervous system is hyper-activated. And as such, you might need to rest and/or take a break. Actively taking part in mindful activities (cooking, baking, drawing, coloring, dancing) can also help to "empty your mind," therefore helping you feel more grounded and being able to think more clearly.

If you're feeling stressed out

We are all feeling collective stress, and our levels of cortisol in our brains and bodies might be higher and more intense than usual. As such, doing some type of physical exercise and taking deep breaths can help minimize the level of stress in your brain. A variety of different apps provide meditation techniques, such as Calm or Headspace.

If you're feeling unmotivated

Many of us are struggling with our new "work from home" normal. If this is resonating with you, it might be time to set in place self-compassionate goals. A strategy I've learned over the years is to break your goal in the "best-case scenario," "a bit better," and "good enough." Let's aim for best, but practice self-compassion by embracing "good enough."

If you're feeling despair

First of all, let me start by saying that it's completely understandable. And while it's important to be aware of this feeling and sit with it for a little while, it can also be a dangerous place if we stay too long. Some strategies that can help us slowly and self-compassionately climb out of this "despair rut" are to include humor and hope in our lives. It can give us a different perspective and provide some level of comfort.

If you're feeling scared

Fear is a basic human emotion, and the only way to minimize it is to actively provide ourselves with comfort and security. This might look different from person to person. It can be a movie, a TV show, a playlist, a meal (comfort food), a sensory activity (wrapping yourself in a blanket). Give yourself what you need without judgment, shame, or guilt.

If you're feeling lonely

This crisis has been a universal reminder that we need other people to survive. And while physical interaction has been limited by social distancing, emotional interaction is still possible through video calls and technology. Make use of that to feel connected to others and to yourself.

And if you don't know how you feel, start by connecting with your body. What is it feeling? Where? During what times? What helps you feel calmer?

Let the distancing of the outer world be an opportunity to connect with your inner world. Maybe by doing so, we can all come out of this as healthier, more compassionate, respectful, and kinder human beings.