This morning while both Drs. Fielder and Huser were in session, I was doing my hourly dance routine. I call it “Sterilizing the Office.”
Why there isn’t a Tik Tok challenge for this yet, I don’t know.
It didn’t take long before I found myself laughing at the fact that I was wiping down my hand sanitizer with an antibiotic wet wipe.
It’s not ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife, but it is ironic nonetheless.
So, standing in my office, alone, laughing is where I am on February 9, 2021.
Which is much better than standing in the toilet paper aisle at Target, alone, crying.
Which is where I was in March of 2020.
It’s important to do a regular check-in to see where you are mentally and emotionally. You can do this in less than ten minutes with some simple questions; a check-in checklist if you will.
Remember, it’s YOUR list. Take your time and answer honestly. You can answer all of the questions or some of them. You can personalize your checklist by adding a few that relate more closely to your life and experience. The internet has loads of mental health check-in questions to chose from. Some of the most common are listed below.
- How are you feeling today, really? Physically and mentally?
- What’s taking up most of your headspace right now?
- Are you eating enough/drinking enough water?
- How have you been sleeping?
- What have you been doing for exercise?
- What did you do today that made you feel good?
- What’s something you can do today to make you feel good?
- What are you looking forward to in the next few days?
- What are you grateful for right now?
We even added a few “COVID related” questions to spice things up a bit.
- Are you taking time away from social media?
- What television shows are you bingeing?
- How ‘over’ Zoom meetings/happy hours are you?
…and my favorite, and the inspiration for today’s post.
4. When was your last good laugh?
We’re advocates of celebrating the small victories here at ARC, and if you have made it this far with your health, your sanity and your sense of humor even partially intact, you’re doing okay!
BUT…if you find that even your tiniest victories are few and far between and that you are struggling with your anxiety and/or depression symptoms, do not hesitate to reach out for help. These are tough times for everyone, and prolonged stress can do a number on us mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Drs. Fielder and Huser can equip you with the tools to help quell your anxiety symptoms. Teaching as many people as they can how to Rethink Anxiety isn’t just their specialty. It’s their passion.
