Feeling feelings is hard, so here are some tips:

BITS ‘N’ PIECES

• Ask yourself: “What am I feeling?” Consider that this uncomfortable emotion may be your body trying to tell you something.
• Now, try to figure out why you are feeling this way. Keep digging because there’s usually more under the surface.
• However irrational or unjustified you might think your emotions are, that’s irrelevant. Your feelings are real.
• Sit with this feeling, no matter how painful. It won’t last, but the longer you avoid it, the longer it lingers.
• Stop being so hard on yourself. Think of this feeling objectively as if a friend was confiding in you.
• Things get worse before they get better. You’re rearranging the furniture of your mind, and it’s going to look better than ever!

Letter writing -a wartime solution to isolation

Writing letters engages practices that we consider within psychotherapy to be mindfulness. When we put pen to paper, we have a tendency to be more reflective and insightful and sensitive about what we write. The process makes us want to be the very best versions of ourselves. Writing letters uplifts others and we avoid the sort of negative ‘word vomit’ we see in social media.

Social media is a ‘double-edged sword’. While it allows us to stay connected to the outside world, it also forces instantaneous communication, making it impossible for us to filter out negative posts. All this negativity can trigger our brains into releasing a cascade of stress hormones that raises blood pressure, increases anxiety and depression and also contributes to substance abuse issues and addiction.

At a time when we want to stay as healthy and strong as possible, all of this added stress can impact our immune systems, making us more susceptible to a virus.

During the wars in the past, regardless of their origin or social class, soldiers and their families were confronted with the same terrible reality of war. Yet optimism, hope for life and even humour are found in their letters to the loved ones. Penning letters was a way for soldiers to show that they could do something with their hands other than killing men. It helped them get away from the horror of war.

By writing letters, you take the time to step back and think. You don’t react to the moment, which helps to prevent the spread of panic and fake news.