Has COVID-19 changed your brain?
Many of the clients we have been treating actually claimed to enjoy the quarantine…at first. So many drawers and garages and filing cabinets were being organized. Rooms were being painted and patios pressure washed. Books were being read and movies watched. At first it was fun to experience family in an unhurried way; family dinners, walks, bike rides, board games. And then, the fun became less and irritability and bored kids ran rampant. People began to lose interest in daily activities, become lethargic, unmotivated and just have an overall sense of malaise.
People became uncertain, anxious, depressed and irritable and began indulging in mindless activities. Feelings of loneliness and fatigue and reduced intellectual functioning emerged with a vengeance. Thus they began indulging in self-soothing behaviors such as eating and drinking too much, drugging too much, sleeping too much, and “blue screening” too much. Some have put on the “COVID 20” blaming the closing of the gyms. This leaves people accepting these behaviors and feelings as something natural that comes with quarantine. Not so!
The question is what are you going to do about it? Recognizing it is step one. Recognize that you’ve allowed yourself to believe the myth that you have no control. Reframe the situation into a positive one in which you have power. You have the power to exercise, to eat well, to turn off the blue screens, to socialize as is permissible with friends and family, and to get back outside on your bikes and walks. Attend virtual meetings, take that class you’ve always wanted to take. Stimulate your mind and avoid the COVID brain fog. Though some believe that COVID-19 and the resultant quarantine lethargy has lowered their IQ that too is a myth. But you can do it to yourself if you don’t take control.
Get into a routine. Get out of bed, brush your teeth, shower, eat well and stimulate your mind by learning something new every day. Get outside and get some vitamin D. Try meditation or yoga. Join a blog. Accomplish a task or take on a project. Learn to craft.
Take your power back and practice self-care!
