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by sovastateofmind

Summer & COVID-19 Have Never Been Friends: Balancing Summer Fun With Post-Pandemic Fear

June 7, 2022 in COVID-19, Educate Yourself

TW: Mentions of COVID-19 and losing a loved one.

COVID-19 has a history of dampening our summer plans. Ever since its initial insurgence in 2020, something just hasn’t felt the same about summer vacation. There’s a twinge of excitement surrounding summer per usual, followed by new bouts of dread when thinking about large gatherings and the possibility of secondhand exposure to the virus. Many of us have traded beach days, movie outings, and routine ice cream trips for staying inside due to our lasting fear and anxiety about COVID-19. 

I have an important message that I need you to hear: If you are feeling this way, THEN YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I’ve found myself spending the majority of my 2022 summer inside writing journal entries and self-proclaimed sappy poetry. Thrilling, right? While there’s nothing wrong with being extra cautious and wanting to avoid large crowds, it can be exhausting to self-isolate for an extreme length of time without exposing yourself to some form of social stimulation. We don’t need to relive our routines during the height of the pandemic! Though cases of COVID-19 continue to periodically spike, vaccination efforts across the U.S. have created an environment in which hyperactive concern about contracting the virus is less.

It is still advised to follow the mask guidelines of your local stores and community, wash your hands regularly, test when you have symptoms, and stay up-to-date with your booster shots — but if you follow these four golden rules, you will minimize your risk of contracting and spreading the virus. In light of changing times, we can throw away any debilitating fears we may have surrounding the virus, to the best of our ability, and feel free to live our lives with that weight carried off our shoulders.

I’ve found that I feel my healthiest — both mentally and physically — when I balance my caution and concern for COVID with my need for social experiences. This will look different for each and every person – we all have our own levels of introversion/extroversion and what feels right for us. I also like to keep in mind my level of thankfulness to even be alive and have survived such a rampant global pandemic. Millions and millions of people across the world lost their lives, or the life of a loved one to this virus. I try not to dwell on that train of thought, for the path it leads down is dark – rather, I approach it from a place of gratitude for my own life and the health of my family and friends. This newfound preciousness I see and feel for life is something I try and never take for granted.  

If you do find yourself increasingly (and understandably) worried about COVID, there are plenty of ways you can keep yourself stimulated indoors, along with healthy ways to remedy the anxiety around COVID.

  • When in public, continue to wear a mask if you feel the need to, even if others around you are not. 
  • Purchase a small-sized hand sanitizer to keep in your purse, in your pocket, or on hand, and use as needed.
  • Try and get outdoor time as much as possible – vitamin D emitted by the sun is essential to your health. Local parks and walking trails are great places to go visit with your family or get some exercise, and the exposure rate of COVID in these outdoor areas is lower. 
  • Decide to either master an existing hobby/talent, or pick up a new one – this will surely fill up your free time.
  • Find alternative ways to keep in touch with your friends over the phone or computer – apps like Zoom, FaceTime, and Discord are particularly helpful for this. Try scheduling a movie night over Zoom and have one person be the designated person to share their screen and stream the movie; if you like to play video games, play with your friends and chat in real-time using Discord to make communicating easier and more effective. 

If you want to try gatherings, here’s ways to stay safe during a large gathering or public event (obtained from the CDC’s website):

  • Make sure you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines.
  • In general, people do not need to wear masks when outdoors.
  • If you are sick and need to be around others, or are caring for someone who has COVID-19, wear a mask.
  • If the COVID-19 Community Level where you live is
    • Low
      • Wear a mask based on your personal preference, informed by your personal level of risk.
    • Medium
      • If you are at risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about wearing masks indoors in public.
      • If you live with or will gather with someone at risk for severe illness, wear a mask when indoors with them.
    • High
      • If you are 2 or older, wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status or individual risk (including in K-12 schools and other community settings).
  • If you are at risk for severe illness, wear a mask or respirator that provides you with greater protection.
  • Stay home if you are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Communicate with the people you will meet about prevention strategies.

Moderator disclaimer: For additional resources and guidance on COVID precautions, please visit CDC, WHO, and your state or local health department website (can see Allegheny County COVID-19 updates here)

What are some ways you balance covid anxiety with social needs? Have you tried any of the tips listed above? If so, what was your experience like?

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by sovastateofmind

Grappling With Anxiety – What I Have Learned

April 6, 2022 in Educate Yourself

Anxiety often feels like a battle between your mind and your heart. Your mind is telling you to “stop worrying, stop worrying, stop worrying,” while your heart continues to beat faster and faster, as if it welcomes the worry. I used to try and always deny the anxiety I would feel, whether it was during a performance, or before presenting to a class, or the anxiety I get when socializing. But I came to realize that denying your anxiety only makes it worse, causing it to fester and swell into what feels like a little green anxiety monster living inside of you. It’s not something you can continually repress or shoo away.

But having anxiety is somewhat of a double-edged sword, wouldn’t you agree? Ignoring your anxiety will not make it go away, but giving it too much attention only makes it worse. So, you can’t quite ignore it, but you can’t focus on it too hard, either. What are you supposed to do about it, then? The answer lies in having a balance between acknowledging your anxiety, recognizing its legitimacy, while simultaneously not letting it get the best of you. Easier said than done, I know. When I start to feel anxious about something, I often find myself thinking something along the lines of: “hey, I have anxiety right now and it feels very real, but that is totally ok. And I know I am going to get over it once I can take my mind off of it.” I personally find comfort in this train of thought.

Be mindful about your anxiety. Try to recognize your triggers so you know when to brace yourself for anxious situations. And don’t be daunted by these anxious situations, or your anxiety itself. Anxiety is normal! A lot of us have it and struggle silently with it. We all deal with anxious situations in life, but we have to try our best to not let these feelings consume us. Here are some ways I distract myself from my anxiety:

  • Going for a walk, or a run especially
  • Getting sun/sunbathing (Vitamin D always helps me feel better)
  • Learning something new and easy (such as a simple strategy or card game)
  • Practicing an already-acquired skill (music, art, sports, etc.)
  • Watching a new TV show/movie + writing a pretend review on it afterwards (this helps me focus more intently on the content and engage critically with the material)
  • Journaling
  • Repeating a mantra to myself when I feel anxious (i.e., if I start to feel overwhelming anxiety, I will chant Hare Krishna in my head in order to subdue any overwhelming or anxious thoughts). Your mantra can be whatever you want it to be, whatever brings you peace when you think about it. The mantra, of course, does not have to have a religious or spiritual connotation in order to be effective. Just whatever speaks to you personally.

If you feel that your anxiety is out of control or seriously affecting your quality of life, I would advise seeking help from a mental health professional. Here is a link to a trusted website listing every step you need to take in order to find a qualified mental health professional for your personal needs. 

Happy spring everyone! Remember to keep staying positive. And always remember you are never alone in your struggles. That is the beauty of SOVA and this online platform we all have at our fingertips.

If you feel comfortable, please feel free to comment some helpful tools/tricks you have learned for dealing with your own anxiety. Or, simply feel free to share your experience living with anxiety and join in on the discussion! Any information you feel comfortable sharing is certainly welcome.

What helps you with anxiety? Have you tried any of the tips listed above?

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by sovastateofmind

Protective Dispositions We Create During Childhood

November 24, 2021 in Be Positive

The blog post includes mentions of childhood trauma. Please read with caution if any of this triggers or upsets you.

Throughout my studies, I have repeatedly learned about the concept of dispositions and how they relate to (and even arguably create) parts of our personality. The term “disposition” is a tough one to define; it is more than just “a person’s inherent qualities of mind and character,” as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary. Many philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists/sociologists, etc. have long debated what this term means, and more importantly, what it implies for their respective fields. In my own words, a “disposition” is a specific ideology that an individual has carried with them long enough for it to have developed from a mere train of thought, to an inherent part of their personality. 

Dispositions can be either beneficial (helpful) or malignant (harmful) to the individual who carries them around in everyday life. For example, a police officer or detective would (hopefully) have a strong disposition to enact fundamental fairness and do good in this world, which would be an example of a beneficial and good-hearted disposition to possess. Conversely, someone who is more machiavellian would likely have a disposition to enact harm, or to take advantage of others, hence how dispositions can also become malignant. But where do these malignant dispositions come from? Are these people just innately evil and bad? Or have they created them as some sort of learned defense mechanism in response to past trauma? 

While I am no expert (let me make that clear), I would like to imagine that most of the people we see carrying around these malignant dispositions have created them as a result of some sort of past trauma, and I can speak from experience. One recent development I have made in regards to my own mental health is the realization that I have a number of set, malignant dispositions that stem from childhood, and they were likely built up in my own head as a defense mechanism to protect me from the world around me. I’ve started referring to these as “protective dispositions.”

I first made this realization about a year ago when I was having a great identity crisis. For as long as I could remember, I tried to be the “tough guy” — I looked up to the antihero, and I made sure that everyone knew of my steely facade. But deep down, I knew I was a good person, and this conflict in my personality always secretly saddened me. I wanted people to know I was good, but trying to be “bad” and “tough” usually paints you in the opposite light. It wasn’t until I became aware of this overarching disposition that I was finally able to start breaking it down. In all honesty, it is probably the most challenging thing I have ever done, and I still grapple with these opposing modes of thought in my head even today. 

Sometimes, I admittedly still find myself wanting to resort back to Mr. Tough Guy; it’s so much easier to not feel and not deal with your problems than it is to feel and heal from them. But this is the most important thing that we as human beings can do. It’s what makes us human. If we lose sight of our emotions — our sympathy, our compassion, the drive to always do better — we lose sight of our humanity. Keep this in mind every time you feel like throwing in the towel. Take pride in the fact that you’re fighting on the good side of the fight. Never succumb to those negative thoughts. Soon, you will hopefully start to notice a more positive change in your demeanor and overall mental state.

What kind of disposition do you think you give off? Have you thought about which personality traits may be rooted in your childhood experiences and how you grew up?

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