Find a workable daily routine that includes exercise, manage your emotional health and stay clear of fake news, a counsellor has advised as the nation entered its second lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday.
While some Barbadians found it difficult to cope during last year’s lockdown, this time around they are dealing with the reality that the virus has now reached the stage of community spread and must find ways and means to pass the time without being significantly affected emotionally.
“You have to be able to manage your feelings,” said psychologist Shawn Clarke, Chief Executive Officer of Supreme Counselling for Personal Development.
“Managing your feelings, in terms of finding a safe and controlled way to acknowledge and to express your difficult emotions for example by writing down probably in a journal or talking to a friend and getting physical exercise which is very important. You can also try meditation on mornings and evenings. I would also probably suggest that you have to be kind to yourself and to others.”
The psychologist stressed that living through the ongoing pandemic is indeed a tough ordeal that many have never experienced in their lifetime. Clarke said there are no specific rules or regulations on how to deal with the situation, leaving people feeling lost, confused and worried.
But Clarke urged people not to push those difficult feelings away – not a healthy coping mechanism, he warned, as it denies the reality of the current situations.
He told Barbados TODAY: “You must tell yourself that all emotions are okay, even the rough ones. And trying to stuff them down and replace them with all positive thinking is an impossible and a very unhealthy task. I think we must be realistic about the situation as well and we must somewhat lower our expectations. What I mean by that is it is not realistic to think that as adults we can handle everything.
“So we think we can handle ourselves and our children with their schoolwork while still working from home, while still maintaining a clean and orderly household. The reality is that instead of trying this we must have a list of priorities and let the others slide a little, we will get to them, there are seven days in the week. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to fit everything in at the same time.
“We must also make the best of the situation. And here you need to distinguish between things you can control and things you cannot control. In particular, you are totally in control of your responses to the situation and accepting the uncertainties and the future while at the same time identifying areas in your life you can control and that is a very good place to start.”
Take a walk around the home and the immediate surroundings, the counsellor further suggested. He advised that people go to the beach between the 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. exercise period. But, he said it is important that people keep whatever routine they choose to develop for themselves and their families.
Clarke said working from home does not mean time to catch up on sleep, waking at midday, but noted that schedules must be maintained and modified.
“So you have set times to work. You have time for meals,” he said. “You have a relatively regular bedtime for you and the children. You need to be able to keep a routine and confine your workspace to one specific area in your house. Confine a space as well for your child or for your children for the school work.
“And you are doing this because you don’t want to intrude on other persons in other parts of the house, so today you work from the bedroom and tomorrow you work from the dining room, the next day you work from the kitchen. That is a no. You confine your workspace to a specific clear area in your house so that your job does not intrude on other personal needs that you may have.”
Electronic devices should also be turned off in the evening to pave the way for at least an hour of family time which should be followed by personal time, Clarke also suggested.
“And you also need to shut out some of the fake news,” he urged. “You need to stop… taking in all the negative comments. Some people say that Barbadians are relatively negative. You need to shut some of that out because inviting all of that negativity into your life creates problems for you and causes panic. And finally, you have to keep up important relationships. Make telephone calls to family members, to friends through WhatsApp and Facetime, to keep important relationships.” (anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)
