CSH Mindfulness Newsletter – 13th Issue, October 2020, Perspective Taking and Emotional Wellbeing
Dealing with challenging emotions and stress associated with our current reality – the pandemic, divisive politics, issues of social/racial injustice, etc.
October 1, 2020
Mariann Johnson
In a recent interview, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was asked how he was dealing with the current state of the world, including the pandemic. He responded with a bit of laughter and then said, “I am a little bit sort of anxious.” Somehow it was comforting to hear that even the Dalai Lama is finding our current reality a bit challenging.
As an antidote for this time, the Dalai Lama and many others are promoting that we learn to build our mental and emotional hygiene. We tend to our bodies each day – brush out teeth, eat regular meals and remember to dress warm when the cool winds begin to blow. But what about our emotional wellbeing? What do we do each day to care for our inner stability, happiness and resilience, especially during these unusually challenging times?
Guy Winch, Ph.D., psychologist, author and TED talk presenter on the topic of emotional hygiene, defines it as, “Being mindful of our psychological health and adopting brief daily habits to monitor and address psychological wounds when we sustain them.” Kristin Neff, Ph.D., author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, cites research on the importance of allowing self-kindness and mindful awareness to guide our daily psychological wellbeing and healing.
The good news is that emotional hygiene and wellbeing can be developed. We can learn to support and nurture our emotional resilience, even in the most trying of times.
Tips for Cultivating Emotional Hygiene and Psychological Wellbeing:
1) Create some quiet time in your day for reflection and emotional self-awareness.
Practice being a nonreactive witness to the heart and mind; this is where your meditation or other contemplative practice may come into play. Whether sitting in a formal meditation or practicing mindfulness in your everyday activities, compassionately allow yourself to recognize your emotions and thoughts as they arise and fade away, without having to get rid of them, distract yourself or judge yourself harshly. By learning to observe the felt sensations of emotions in our body, we learn to understand the language of our emotions. Over time, we come to befriend our emotions, listening to them and caring for them as we would a dear friend who is going through an uneasy time.
For information on developing emotional self-awareness, please visit the Center’s Taking Charge of Your Health and Wellbeing website.The website also has resources for practicing mindful awareness of thoughts and emotions.
2) We are biologically wired for social connection; make sure your relational wiring is fully operational.
What a year 2020 has been. The pandemic, divisive politics and issues of social injustice have left many of us feeling emotionally drained. Some of us are also experiencing various forms of loss and grief brought on by the pandemic. It can be easy to isolate when we are experiencing emotional disequilibrium. During these unsettling times, do your best to reach out to others in meaningful ways that allow you to be open and vulnerable about your feelings. Seek out trusted friends, clergy or mental health professionals to support and share your emotional wellbeing journey.
Resources for dealing with change and social isolation.
Emotional and mental health resources.
3) Be of service: volunteer - share your time, caring and expertise with others.
Research has shown that when we offer our care for others, we receive a wellbeing boost. When under stress perhaps the last thing you might consider is extending yourself to others, but even the smallest gestures might just make someone’s day and brighten your own.
