VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The coronavirus pandemic has made life harder and more stressful for some. With restrictions put in place, it could almost give the impression there is nothing to do.
“This pandemic has been bringing out the best and the worst in everybody,” Danielle Jweid said.
Jweid, who is a local counselor, said right now is a perfect time to be mindful.
“Mindfulness can be good with kids. It can be good if you’re alone too,” she said.
She said she's seen more people feeling stress and negative emotions right now.
“We had so many things in our normal lives before the pandemic that keep us from paying attention to emotions or things we should really be taking care of,” Jweid said.
Jweid offers some suggestions:
“You can mindfully do your chores around the house and really be present for those, finding a different way to think about that,” she explained. “Coming up with some sort of structures so kids as well as adults have variety. That might mean going into some old hobbies or finding some new hobbies."
Something else Jweid suggested is using your five senses, almost making a game out of it. For example, if you're at the Oceanfront, feel the sand under your feet, smell the saltwater from the ocean and see and hear the waves crashing.
“Maybe it’s not, ‘Ugh, I have to do that pile of dishes,’” Jweid explained. “Maybe instead it’s, 'Oh, this is really nice warm water, wow, this soap smells really good.’”
She said this may sound silly, but, “Looking at it, now we have time for this,” Jweid said. “We have time to be present."
The important thing she said to remember is this is temporary.
“Today is asking for a lot more stress management,” Jweid said. “When you don’t do it, you’re going to get angry, have a harder time dealing with any of your things.”
