It's been awhile since I've blogged and had an update for you all. I, too, get caught up in life and work. My attention was pulled in every direction and I was multi-tasking to the point of no return, until COVID-19 hit the U.S.
During the transition to work from home, I found myself overwhelmed with the amount of news coming from both the media and my well-informed friends in our group chats. I didn't even know where to start with processing the "stress" I was feeling. I use the word "Stress" in quotes because that is the part of us that literally lumps every emotion into the umbrella term that serves as a catch all for our uncomfortable feelings. It took me awhile to get adjusted to my new reality of working from home every single day, taking precautions to even venture outside, and understand all the guidelines from the CDC, State, and City.
I have to say it was scary and I was numb, to say the least, to what was happening. I felt so far away from the situation, because I didn't know anyone impacted by this and I considered myself fairly healthy and fit for my age. Mentally and emotionally, I distanced myself from the greater warnings.
As each day passes and the numbers of COVID-19 cases climbs in the US, I am taking a pause to take inventory on what is true for me. I recall getting on calls with my mom who panic shopped. I laughed about her paranoia but realized my mother had been through this such chaos as a child growing up in a world where there was nothing and not enough to go around. She was ahead of the game and she gave me a panic attack. I proceeded to the store with Ricky as soon as he got home on Friday, the 13th.
I admit, I was deeply driven by fear and scarcity when we drove to 3 stores to find food and stock up on dry goods. I was in that space for quite awhile longer until I attended Katherine Woodward Thomas' "The True Awakening" and took away the following lessons:
1. I am capable of holding complexity and paradoxes in life.
2. I have areas of development that I never learned during childhood, for example: having the capacity to process and hold my emotions.
3. I have life-paralyzing limiting beliefs that I developed as a child, to survive.
Wowza, that is just the tip of the iceberg! (I'll share more in a future blog!) One thing I am taking away from this experience of COVID-19, is gratitude. I am more grateful than ever for the health of my loved ones, my coworkers, my friends, and that of the world. I am extremely grateful for my job, the firm I work for, and the people I work with. This time has brought teams together like I never could ever have imagined.
I also acknowledge this is a time where hard emotions emerge and it's hard to even name it. It might feel like tightness in your shoulders, neck, hips, or aching pain, or even numbness. One thing I want all of you to know is that the more we resist these emotions, the more our body will hold on to it. A couple of tips here are to pause and breathe into it, literally stop and be with yourself, and focus on your breathe.
A few techniques to release anxiety/emotions:
4-7-8 Breathing-How It Works on Medical News Today
Stop, Breathe, & Think App via Apple Store
I absolutely love the Stop, Breathe, Think App! It has an extensive list of emotions I can use to name the emotions I'm feeling. When I can name my emotions, I'm able to be more present to what I'm truly feeling. It's a great way to train yourself, if you are like me who has never learned how to name emotions outside of happy, sad, and mad.
Take the time to pause, check in, and connect with YOURSELF today so you can take care of yourself. The world needs us to stay healthy and strong as we battle this virus together as one, not as individuals. Please take care of yourself during these turbulent times. If you want to learn more about the techniques, I'll be practicing it on my Instagram @DebbieAuYeungCoaching and Facebook Page @CoachDebbieAY. Feel free to join in if you want to practice together 8am starting Monday Morning, March 30th! I'm looking forward to seeing you!