Emotional Quicksand
The simple trick that will give you a lifeline to rescue yourself from getting pulled down into the depths of worry and anxiety
This isn’t another article about COVID-19. Well, to be honest, it is in a way but let’s leave that as the backdrop. This virus is just setting the scene for what you’re going to be reading about below. I think it is safe to assume that the whole world is in a weird emotional and mental state with all these recent events.
Maybe you’re reading this, and you need to get up and go to work or you are working from home. Those are the two options we have to choose from, unfortunately. The world is on lockdown and we are all coming to terms with what that means for ourselves and those closest to us.
Being a designer means I can work remotely, something I am very grateful for especially at this time. I have the ability to work from home and keep in touch with clients and colleagues digitally. It is a bit different from working from the office but we’re making it work. By the end of this whole COVID-19 chapter, I will have to put “Video Call Maestro” (accolade title pending review) onto my CV.
After the first week of quarantine, I realised that my mental state is vastly improved, I did think I would be ripping my hair out for sure due to the lack of human interaction and contact with my colleagues. As I sat and reflected further another realisation came to light, being around highly anxious and worry-filled energy began to affect my mood greatly. I tend to reflect the energy around me, similarly to an emotional mirror and I like to think that I am very emotionally attuned to the world around me so if someone is upset, I pick up on that energy straight away. This skill has helped a lot with my relationships, personal and professional alike but there is a dark side to it.
Being around nothing but anxiety, worry and stress every day of the working week began to take its toll on my mental state without my realisation. I started to withdraw from most conversations with my colleagues and would only respond with short (straight to the point) answers. I would only really speak when spoken to, which is very out of character for me.
Day to day life at work became a slog, constantly hearing everyone talk about the virus and the anxiety as to where it was in the world became a daily occurrence. The mental energy I was expending every day to not get sucked into the pit of worry and anxiety would leave me drained by the end of the week. I would then want nothing more but to just spend the weekend alone to recharge my mental batteries in preparation for the next working week.
This isn’t sustainable. What made me realise this was the first week of quarantine. Time alone gave me a chance to reflect on why I felt so much more relaxed despite being on lockdown and working from home. In a way, it has felt as if I have had a week of meditation or headspace in-between bouts of work.
I feel as if I have climbed out of a pit of emotional quicksand. My life preserver has been meditation and reflection. It can be tempting at the moment to get bogged down with all the negative energy and worry that is connected with this virus. If there is one thing I would recommend to you is to step away from a screen, this can be at any time for example in the bath or shower, brushing your teeth, out for a walk or cleaning.
Connect a non-screen activity with a mental check-in. Ask yourself “How am I feeling right now? Can I influence any thoughts that are causing me to worry in any way?”. Let the thoughts come and go. This act will help you to float out of your emotional quicksand and reconnect you with all the positive energy that is around us. It can be difficult to try and be positive at a turbulent time like this but the only way we can do it is one day at a time.
