Do you have Covid Overload Brain?
Even if we’re now on the level with Level 1, there’s still a lot of pea soup brains out there!
Here are the symptoms:
Overwhelmed easily
Feel like you aren’t really involved with anything
Frequent forgetfulness, clumsiness, even accidents
Slow to make decisions
Waking at funny times and finding it harder to get to sleep
Finding you’re staring into space or daydreaming more
A sense you’re not really yourself.
As a global village, we’ve never had an incident like the Pandemic and being so connected.
This has not only meant people fear for their health, but they’re watching and listening to much more fear-based information – factual or opinion – that isn’t necessarily useful.
Let’s deal with both.
Fear about the disease.
This makes sense. The disease is deadly, swift and invisible. Many of our older loved ones are most susceptible and we haven’t been able to care for them or be near them. Seeing them again can seem surreal.
We wash our hands, but we don’t wash our brains! The fear and lack of ability to control what’s happening is unprecedented. We’ve been locked in and the fear part of our brain is locked and loaded – even overloaded- and we haven’t thought to unload it and calm the farm.
For those who went out walking, we’re able to get some vitamin K, breathe and take a visual break in our fabulous natural surroundings. So now, are we all going back to how it was with the flight or fright part of our brain undiffused?
What you’re feeding your brain
If you’re still feeding your brain all this information on what’s wrong with the world and what’s happening with racism, the pandemic, vaccines, 5G, the end of the world and the price of air travel, then what’s your brain’s response?
You may not know about the fantastic almond-sized organ, which controls all our emotions and checks out our actions for fight or flight. It’s called the amygdala. And if you could scan it, some of us still have it glowing red- hot! The front part of our brain, which is where we make good decisions and take a long term view of things should be trying to tell us “Pick me! Pick me!” but some are having trouble switching the pea-sized Overlord off.
Also, the brain does what you choose it to. If you’re feeding the fear part of your brain, fighting with people who have different views than yours, getting frustrated and seeing more about how things are literally exploding all over the world, you’ll keep that fear going.
Here are some suggestions to calm down your brain:
Admit you’re powerless to control the impact of the pandemic/racism/economy and getting your favourite raisins/drugs/pooch treats> Instead, surrender by:
Not dwelling on what you can’t control
If you have an active spiritual life: pray, meditate, exercise and give this to your higher power
Read some inspirational material
Have fun – all of these mean do anything but dwell on the possibility of the worst things happening
Have fun. Whatever that is for you. (Hint: it isn’t working harder or eating/drinking/smoking/injecting things that are short term fixes.)
Try doing something new. Try little things like smiling at strangers, paying for someone’s coffee or saying hi to your neighbours. These small acts of giving beyond yourself are marvellous for you
Tell trusted people or a helpline how you’re feeling. This is an amazing elixir because we’re wired to receive and give connection. Wouldn’t you be concerned if you’re best friend didn’t say how they were to you? And let people know you want to be listened to, not fixed or given a plethora of solutions.
Switch off the unprecedented opinions on social media on racism, that G5 is producing vaccines that Bill Gates, who hates you, is going to force you to have and make you sicker. It’s good to be informed but these seem to be over bloated opinion pieces with little basis in fact. (I couldn’t believe the difference a day without this toxic brain juice freed up my mind.)
What you think is as important as how you think.
Consider what Nick Wignall, psychologist, therapist and blogger says “ In my experience, suffering comes from rigidity. When you get stuck in a certain way of thinking and behaving even though it’s not working, that’s a setup for suffering.” And his panacea? Gentleness. Be gentle with yourself and others.
You could also try the coaching programme on balancing your life to refresh and re-direct yourself into a way to be more of yourself. Those seemingly elusive goals of being happy and successful and calm are about managing to what you give your attention. The best you are when you’re being pure you. That’s worth some of your time and attention, isn’t it?
Send me a message or give me a call, I would love to connect with you and start working through these things together.
“ In my experience, suffering comes from rigidity. When you get stuck in a certain way of thinking and behaving even though it’s not working, that’s a setup for suffering.”
And his panacea? Gentleness. Be gentle with yourself and others.
Reference:
https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/how-to-build-mental-toughness-in-your-20s-or-80s-34e78730ddda#92ab
