Being required to shelter in place, spend most of our time indoors in our home, and take walks only in our neighborhood, can create a host of responses from our mind and body.
If being at home when you were younger was not an emotionally comfortable nor safe place to be, this shelter in place can be a trauma trigger. Or if being at home currently lacks connection or safety, you may also be experiencing a form of PTSD. If you are not experiencing any trauma based symptoms, but are having the present time responses of stress due to quarantine, this blog may also help.
My intention in writing this is to support you to gain understanding of what may be happening for you internally or with a loved one. May you be empowered with evidence based strategies for self care tools to support you during this challenging time.
This blog has emotional content in it. It may be activating, meaning, causing an emotional response. As you read, you will be offered self care suggestions, so you can both gain understanding and support while reading this material. This also may simply be an educational read for you.
Here are some ways to take care of yourself as you read about how your mind and body may be triggered by sheltering in place.
Before you begin:
- Notice your body and feel a place that is comfortable or even feels good. It could be your feet touching the ground or your back resting against a chair or soft cushion. It could be your hands gently touching each other or the softness of your heart or the feeling of the weight of your body when you sit.
- Remind yourself that you can most likely go outside..whether it is to step into the fresh air or to take a neighborhood walk. For now, look out a window at something you find comforting or beautiful. Notice how this makes you feel. Take a few moments with this.
- Allow your breath to come in, imagining all the healthy air that you are taking in is feeding the cells of your body. Use a color to enhance this effect if you wish. Allow your breath to come out, allowing anything that may feel old or stale to leave with that exhale. Slowly and steadily do this for a few breath cycles. This simple action can be surprisingly calming and empowering.
While reading this or any other material that may bring up emotions (which includes a lot of the news we read these days) use the Pause Button. Pause reading when a feeling or memory arises and be with yourself lovingly.
You become the caring adult, whom you may or may not have had in your early life, to soothe your own inner self.
- It can be as simple as saying to yourself, “I’m here with you. I’m right here, loving you and taking care of you.” and/or
- Placing a hand on your heart and/or belly and breathing in loving kindness and exhaling loving kindness. and/or
- Saying to yourself, “These feelings you are having make sense – you make sense. I’m going to be right here with you, until these feelings slow down or pass.”
- Only continue to read on when you are ready. Pause at any time. You will be able to understand and digest the information better when you self care as you read.
Your 15 minute free consultation is a great way to begin to connect.
Contact me for Individual Support. Or read more about Individual Therapy.
Read more here about : Healing Trauma, and Healing Generational Wounds.