For almost a year, the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the lives of many people. Ignoring the compelling emotions and situations experienced can make the problems deeper and harder to solve. Uz. From the Department of Psychology at Memorial Wellness. Clinical Psychologist Gizem Çeviker Coşkun gave information about the compelling psychological effects of the pandemic and the things to be considered in this process.
During the pandemic period, thoughts containing anxiety, fear or stress and compelling emotions accompanying these thoughts may be experienced. In such processes, the first tendency of many people is to either ignore these feelings and thoughts, in other words, to escape or to get caught up in this vortex of feelings and thoughts. For example; thoughts can occupy a person's mind so that it may not even be noticed from time to time. While reading a book page, one may not be able to grasp where it is at the beginning and at the end, and the need to reread it may be felt; for the mind may have already flown. Or sometimes the mind says to stay aside and tends to ignore it and pass it off. Long-running TV series, movies, and binge eating may come to one's rescue. As a result, these short-term steps do not help the person in the long term. The individual turns around and finds himself in the same place at the first "moment of being alone with himself". So what could be the alternative way? It is confronting, accepting and taking active steps with this acceptance whatever is challenging the person with a clear awareness.
If you suffer from distraction, "mind-blowing" ...
One of the facilitating elements of the phenomenon called open awareness on the well-being of the individual is capturing early warning signals. Difficult situations; They can have behavioral, physiological, emotional and cognitive signals. For example; If there is a problem of focusing while working, doing or listening to a person, if the mind is somewhere else, if the work is not even remembered, there may be a situation called mind flitting. This is exactly what is often described as "distraction" by the healthy population in today's world. In such situations, avoiding thoughts or trying to control them by getting into a struggle will often not work.
Trying not to think is not the solution to problems
A person who has a fear of failing is constantly studying or may become a workaholic for fear of losing their job. Some people try not to think about their problems. But the mind does not stop and affects the person negatively by constantly thinking. If the motivation of the person is low, he / she cannot focus on his / her work, can not constantly postpone and complete his / her work on time, loses the ability to manage time, cannot set goals, and may not develop motivation for the goal. These negativities, over time, bring along physiological problems such as insomnia and the need to eat constantly. There are differences in appetite and eating, the person often wakes up, gets up without rest, sleep quality deteriorates, and he starts not to enjoy the things he enjoys. Depression, boredom, feeling exhausted can manifest itself as emotional signals. Intolerance is also among the emotional signals.
Even if the problem is noticed, the person may not know what to do.
Experiences that the person has difficulty with; a person, event, emotion or relationship can be the occasion. Instead of turning away from these feelings and situations, confronting the experience itself and doing this in a healthy way with helpers who facilitate the situation is a very important step for the psychological well-being of the individual. People often think that the situations or emotions that challenge them are due to workload or stress. While experiencing the consequences of this challenging situation, it does not matter what the causes and triggers are. Or even if the reasons are noticed, the person does not know what to do. It is also important whether their methods of coping with the situation they live in work or not. Preventive mental health can bring a person to a better and healthier state of mind by focusing on what the triggers of compelling emotions and situations experienced and how to resolve them.
Realize, accept, transform
Whatever the person is experiencing during this period can be addressed in 3 stages: First of all, it is important to understand the emotion experienced. What is my feeling right now? What is my tone of emotion? What is the meaning of this feeling telling me? It can support giving meaning to the feeling experienced. In the second stage, the characteristics that trigger this compelling emotion experience and the "what automatic attitudes and behaviors" the individual does towards "which need" may have fed this compelling experience can be addressed. In the 2rd stage, when a similar situation is left again; The question of how the individual can complement his understood emotions and emotional needs in a kind and respectful way towards himself and others can be addressed. Many people may not consider seeking professional help until their challenging experiences come to the end, and it can be more challenging and complicated to be able to approach them calmly at this stage. Realizing active transformation after realizing, accepting and accepting the difference includes attitudinal changes that can be implemented with simple methods but may not be easy. As we pass through the skill of "noticing" noticing what we do not notice; "To accept" is not a state of giving up against the current situation, but a state of accepting the situation-conditions-experience as it is. As a matter of fact, the active transformation step can be taken after all these.
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