The spike in new variations, the efficiency of the immunizations, and the enduring changes in the routine of our families and children at home and at work have all raised alarming concerns.
Fear can cause a variety of mental health problems, including the inability to relax, anxiety, melancholy, phobias, heart damage, lack of confidence, deteriorating memory, survival instincts (the fight-or-flight response), and failing to remember simple tasks like scheduling routine mental examinations.
Managing our anxieties of the epidemic and the outside world is still incredibly challenging. We have the flexibility and choice to abide by the recommendations made by science, such as getting immunized, using masks, employing common sense, isolating ourselves when necessary, and not putting ourselves at unnecessary danger of exposure.
We can, however, change how we internalize and handle our concerns.
Facing Fears at Home
Our houses must be safeguarded and maintained as safe havens for our loved ones’ mental and emotional well-being. Here are four tips on how to use fear as your sous chef to encourage stronger feelings of safety and security amongst your family at home.
- Communicate about issues at home as they arise instead of letting resentment build. Don’t try to pre-determine outcomes. Continue to talk it out. Sustained communication is more important than getting expected responses.
- Be sensitive and patient when communicating with family members. Choose periods when they are most likely to be responsive and active listeners. Even if you have to put up with suffering to find the perfect time, this fosters a more secure communication atmosphere.
- Embrace compromise and agree to disagree. Understand there isn’t always a winner or loser. Sharing opinions on subjects and outcomes demonstrates your respect for one another. By confronting that fear, the person will grow stronger and be better able to cling onto their opinions.
- Avoid jumping the gun and personalizing issues that are inherently confrontational. Prior to obtaining solid proof that your assumption about the validity of the problem is accurate, concentrate on coping. Try to control your fear by avoiding egotistical errors in judgment that could result in pointless disputes.
Don’t be afraid to take the first step. It could take some modeling and effort on your behalf before your partner or other family members start to reciprocate. Everyone participating and feeling invested in the outcome is better for everyone.
Facing Fears at Work
Whether you’re working from home or going back to the office, using these six strategies to overcome your concerns will stop stagnation, promote progress, and increase your confidence at work.
- Challenge yourself to talk to your supervisor about promotions and bonuses. Even if this could be a difficult undertaking, it’s crucial to assign a monetary value to your time and effort. There is a socio-normative message that affects women in the workplace if you are a woman. It frequently leads to women giving more of their time without expecting anything in return. Regardless of your gender, pursuing promotions and achieving a competitive wage might help you feel more confident in your self-worth.
- Face discomfort and speak up in meetings and avoid allowing yourself a chance to use the excuse, “That’s what I (Jennifer Guttman Psy.D.) was going to say,” which will haunt you and erode your confidence.
- Set aside time to practice public speaking, which will increase feelings of competence and self-respect.
- Embrace opportunities for mentorship and interviewing. Learning how to put effective methods into practice helps your brain remember how to get through imposter syndrome and get to the next stage of skill development.
- By modifying your goals as necessary for extraordinary events like COVID, you can test your ability to adapt. Instead of giving in to the notion that you face impossible odds, set yourself up for success. Facing these fears builds hope.
- If you have long-haul COVID and it is affecting your academic performance, ask your professor or teacher for additional academic accommodations. Putting your ego aside could lead to more long-term success and better grades. Facing your fear is an action that is the bedrock of courage not shame.
Keep in mind that altering your behavioral patterns is a process. To succeed on your trip, you must remain dedicated to your objectives, have confidence in yourself, practice mental flexibility, and rely on a healthy dose of daring.
