It’s getting annoying! Somehow everyone I speak today seems irritable or bad-tempered. Maybe 10 days is enough? Or I only hear what I want to hear? The curfew and accompanying restrictions continue, and the tips I use for mental stability work well. I work in the home office almost more than usual and actually continue to do sports. But there is one aspect I would like to emphasize more today: the tip of the day is about my environment, my contacts and relationships.
Especially during crises it is extremely important to stay in relationship. Contact with family, friends, work colleagues, neighbours. In general, people feel more satisfied and secure when they have pleasant social contacts. This includes not only friends, colleagues or family, but especially the neighbourhood. For one’s own psychological stability and to strengthen the immune system, this feeling of connectedness, connectivity and security is needed. In normal life we are usually not aware of this need. We intuitively feel in our everyday life how much contact and closeness we need and do not think about it, but shape our social life accordingly. In crises or exceptional situations, however, this very cornerstone can make a difference in life. What exactly do you need to charge your “I feel safe, secure and connected – battery”? Are you missing exchange or are there too many (digital) contacts? The change to the home office and thus to digital communication can be unfamiliar and exhausting. A warm hello to your neighbour is very easy and may charge the battery more than you think.
I make sure right here and now that this “battery” is never deeply discharged, but is well filled. Once again, pick up the phone, fiddle around with a new video meeting program and enjoy experiencing something more private for your colleagues in the home office, not only asking the neighbors “how are you? Then I also find out that the other one wasn’t irritated at all, but just blinked against the sun and we are happy that we met while taking out the garbage. Somehow this exceptional situation also makes me milder, more understanding and helpful. A nice side effect of Covid19.
How do you maintain the contacts and relationships around you right now? What nice situations have happened to you that make you laugh and charge your battery? I am curious. Stay curious. It goes on.