Receiving the New Year usually comes with lists of good intentions. But the consequences of the pandemic weigh heavily when it comes to changing course in everyday life. However, the will to improve in the field of health (physical and emotional) is an aspect on which negotiations do not fit, especially after months of uncertainty, limitations and radical transformations.
“Just as memory is congruent with our state of mind, the same thing happens with regard to the future. If I feel discouraged, sad, negative, tired now … it is possible that I have a less positive future”shares Cristina Mae Wood, a European doctor of psychology specializing in anxiety and stress, and a health psychologist at the Madrid Human Area Center.
While not everyone was affected by the pandemic equally, states of anxiety, stress and depression are also part of the new normal. And it is precisely these tables that can be an obstacle to achieving certain goals. But are not the only ones. Being deprived of freedom of movement or with reduce income are other reasons that put certain transformations into the routine.
Getting your sentimental life in order, achieving a better work-life balance and more work-life balance, integrating a healthy diet or finding a better distribution in the face of family burdens are some of the most pressing goals to get 2021 in order .
“It is important to keep in mind that while the desire to do something helps, it is not the determining role. What is relevant is the decision to rethink our goals and values,” explains Joselin Miranda Gómez, health psychologist and member of the team of the Center for Clinical Psychology.
And, the psychologists who consulted explain, this is the way to make changes in life when reality makes it difficult.
The quarantine caused terminal crises in many couples. Photo Shutterstock.
In the couple: materializing a break (even without money)
Incarceration tested every relationship living under one roof. In some cases, it resulted in a strengthening of the couple. But for many others, the result was the opposite. “Many couples have been quarantined together and about half realized they weren’t working,” Wood said.
Given this circumstance, starting a life alone is the most logical consequence. However, the job insecurity resulting from the crisis made this move impossible for many people. “ Those who thought to end the relationship and were unable to carry it out due to the economic situation can reach a minimum agreement that respects the privacy of the other, allows an individual space, the household chores and the care for Dividing the children and maintaining a balance in the economic part, ”Miranda recommends.
According to the experts, be aware of the situation It is the first step. From there, if you don’t have enough money to become independent, it’s important to make numbers and start saving or looking for work if you don’t have it. “You may not be able to leave in a month, but in six months. The important thing is to have a goal,” suggests Wood.
In 2019, the WHO recognized burnout as a disease. Illustrative image Shutterstock.
Professional: managing the ‘burnout’ (in the middle of the crisis)
Layoffs were the general trend in the labor market. The teams were reduced and as a result the workload increased. Those who already suffered from burnout (Burned Worker syndrome) at their workplace saw this situation increase. But these profiles as well as others who suggested a change of professional sign saw their intentions halted by the general situation.
“If you realize that you are not passionate about your work, if you are not learning, if you have a burnout, if the relationship with your boss is disastrous or when you are bored, the important thing is to search. This is something that is happening 80% of the population“the anxiety specialist shares.
Despite the complexity of the moment, it is important to analyze where it would be desirable to focus the race, without giving up or creating constraints on it. ‘You have to take that into account the only solution is not to quit your job. It is important to be flexible, in the beginning you can request a shortened day or, if you are very stressed or depressed, take some time off and give yourself time ”, Wood continues.
Likewise, it is helpful to take advantage of the free time to explore those issues in which you want to grow, even outside of work. Also improve profiles on LinkedIn and get started inform the network of contacts about our objective, to be aware of the opportunities that may arise.
On the downside it is exercise It’s another tool to reduce work stress. “It is much more effective against depression and stress than any other pill. Sport helps release cortisol, increases oxytocin levels and reduces anger. All of this is very important for us to be calmer, sleep better and sleep better. let’s not think so much negatively“Adds the doctor of psychology.
Eating better, a goal many set at the beginning of the year. Photo archive.
Break away from emotional foods
One of the most recurring resolutions at the beginning of the year is the review of the relationship maintained with food. In 2021, this topic may affect more people than usual. We spend more time at home than ever and this circumstance, coupled with a framework of insecurity and fear, unleashed unhealthy eating patterns.
“Food, like any other addiction, never solves the underlying problem. When I have anxiety and stress and I use food to calm those unpleasant emotions, I’m just going to create a new problem, “Wood shares. Again, realizing that there is a discrepancy in the relationship with food is the first step to situation.
Likewise, it is essential to establish routines that keep you from getting carried away by food when something is emotionally unsuccessful. “Even if there is a situation that we don’t like and that restricts us to some extent, it is possible to maintain and care for a routine that is adapted to our interests. It will help us deal with everyday problems. a more adaptive way of organizing and coping, ”explains Miranda.
If the chances of success in changing habits are to be increased, the way we imagine the situation must be transformed or, which is the same, the assessment of threat through that of challenge.
In the first case, it is negative thoughts that direct a certain situation (which can last for months), resulting in feelings such as fear, frustration, insecurity, fear, sadness, anger. “Those emotions that build up over time, especially when there is a lot of uncertainty, will have negative consequences for the behavior,” warns Wood.
When preparing a challenge assessment, however, the focus is on what we want to happen. “It’s very simple: what would I like to see happen? Watch my body change, feel good about myself. You visualize it and feel those positive emotions, which in that case would be illusion, excitement, excitement. They will always have positive consequences, ”he continues.
Physical activity is the key to physical and mental well-being. Photo Shutterstock.
Maintain the exercise routine
For the first delivery, going to the gym, cardio class or even the treadmill at home became a must. As the months passed, the will to continue training from home declined.
“The problem with most people is that they wait to be motivated to exercise, and that’s a trap, a deception. To make sense of it, you have to create the habit little by little. We are creatures of habit and, if we repeat a behavior, approx after 21 days it becomes routine and it doesn’t cost much more, ”Wood reveals.
If the problem is given because the exercise pattern followed cannot be maintained due to the limitations, maintaining an open posture is key so that the sporting intention does not diminish. “It is advisable to focus on what we can do now to get as close to our goals as possible. To do this we need to be realistic and act promptly,” advises Miranda.
The pandemic has disrupted the boundaries between family, work and school life. Photo Shutterstock.
Dealing with family expenses
Another situation that exacerbated the health crisis is the weight that certain people are carrying as a result of the diet take care of family members or loved ones. Those in charge of the elderly or people with fragile health and who had outside help sometimes did not receive it, for fear of contamination or quarantines, or because of the crisis. Something similar happens in the case of childcare.
“Each person must appreciate, value and set boundaries for the resources they have, including in terms of the energy offered,” says Wood. When it comes to children, the psychologist stresses the need to share with them that parents are also getting tired and settling in moments of disconnection.
Introducing activities that generate wellbeing is a useful tool in these cases. Activities such as taking a short walk, doing some relaxation exercises, maintaining social activity even through a video call, trying to organize times and daily routines (sleep, eating, exercise) or simply stop and get distracted a few minutes a day can help release the tension, ”Miranda advises.
If time is short, Wood suggests reviewing habits, such as time spent on mobile applications. “If we quickly make a mobile phone or television, we will gain a lot of time to invest in our psychological well-being. Exercise, read in bed, draw, sew or meditate. 15-20 minutes a day it’s enough, ”concludes the anxiety and stress specialist.
By Rocío Navarro Macías, for La Vanguardia.