Information Overload

  

With social media, TV, apps, e-mail, news articles, and mail, we can easily become overloaded with information. If left unchecked, we could have the news running all day in the background or fall into a rabbit hole of social media “doomscrolling.” For a more detailed look at this new phrase, read the Merriam Webster definition and origin. 

Headlines are designed to grab our attention and ignite an emotional reaction. They are written to try and convince us that we need to know more and read on or watch longer. When we keep engaging with the information, we may experience a reaction because we strongly agree or disagree.  We may feel a strong sense of needing to know. We may start applying what we read or see to our own life. Before we know it, we are scrolling and scrolling or watching and watching and time for more meaningful activities is passing by. 

Information overload can lead to increased anxiety and stress. Here are some strategies to help manage this: 

Limit Exposure 

Allow yourself a designated amount of time per day or week for consumption of current events.  

 

Access Trusted Resources 

Find a reputable resource for unbiased and accurate information. 

 

Find the Primary Source 

This one is difficult but helpful and important. As best you can, trace back reported information to the original source.  

 

Read Alternative Viewpoints 

Learn about different perspectives to help more fully understand a situation. 

 

Focus on Information Seeking Not on Reassurance Seeking 

There is a difference between learning new information to advance knowledge and compulsively seeking confirmation or disconfirmation for reassurance. 

Beginning School During Challenging Times

 As we are preparing for a new school year and are making decisions for our families, ourselves, and careers, we may feel anxious, stressed, or tired. This is to be expected given the unique stressors we are facing right now. Together, we can manage this. 

My hope for this school year is that we can: 

-practice resilience, patience, and kindness 

-be thoughtful, considerate, and informed 

-be reasonable, logical, and rational 

-appreciate hard-work, dedication, and energy 

-be flexible, fluid, and adjustable 

-make decisions that are the best for our individual needs and family circumstances 

-have fun, learn, and grow 

 

Whether it is in-person learning, remote instruction, online schooling, or homeschooling, we can be better and stronger together. Let’s show kindness to each other, ask questions, follow guidelines, offer help, accept help, and be reasonable with expectations and demands.  Have a great school year! 

Managing Anxiety with Relaxation and Mindfulness

In this time of uncertainty, there is understandably heightened anxiety and stress. One healthy way of managing anxiety is with relaxation exercises and mindfulness practices.  Here are some of my favorites: 

 

Lake Meditation

 

Loving Kindness Meditation 

Soften, Soothe, Allow 

Progressive Muscle Relaxation 

Deep Breathing

I encourage you to give some a try. Take care of yourself.

Be well,

 Dr. Laura 

Healthy Communication

There is a time for listening and a time for speaking. Both communication methods are integral to successful relationships. Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed a lot of speaking and hopefully more listening. Understanding the perspective of someone who has a different viewpoint than you can make a big difference. We may not agree with someone’s choices, actions, feelings, thoughts, or statements. We may feel like ending a friendship, blocking them on social media, writing them off as falling into a demographic group or category different than our own, or dismissing them. While this may seem like it solves the problem, this behavior divides us and prevents the development and practice of skills in conflict resolution, relationship reconciliation, problem solving, communication, and tolerance.  It is expected and acceptable to disagree with others.  In fact, let’s welcome discourse and conflict and work through it. We don’t need to run away (except in dangerous situations of course). We don’t need to come to an agreement on everything. We can be a bridge builder, peacemaker, and good listener. 

When we change our perspective to see someone else’s, we may learn some actions are motivated by fear, loss, love, anger, personal experiences, discrimination, financial struggles, or some other aspect of life that has deeply impacted them. And sometimes our behavior changes because we didn’t have a good night’s sleep or breakfast that day.  It is my hope that we work to understand each other more, listen often, and keep communication open.  

Speaking of communication...  

I have a new e-mail address: DrLaura@onlinetherapyforanxiety.com  

Please save this for your records to replace: DrLauraVSH@meaningfulpsychservices.com 

Coming soon! I will have a new website in addition to www.meaningfulpsychservices.com 

Resilience During the Pandemic and Beyond

We are living history in the making right now more than ever.  Our day-to-day challenges, activities, sources of happiness, health concerns, interactions, learning environments, and work experiences have been impacted. We can choose to let these factors wound us and diminish our well-being, or we can choose to practice optimism, resilience and grit and embrace life with a sense of meaning and purpose. 

Here are some suggestions to accomplish this:

Connect with others safely. Replace the phrase “social distancing” with “physical distancing” and remember that we can see people online via video or in-person following the local health department guidelines. It is very important to stay connected with our community, friends, and family.  

Practice healthy behaviors during the pandemic. Demonstrate concern for the well-being of others by wearing a face covering and following guidance from health professionals.  

Limit the news viewing. Stick to 1 or 2 reputable resources for information grounded in science and local information as needed. When possible, review primary/original sources of information or consolidated information from a trusted health professional rather than news media summaries.  

Remember that we are all involved in this pandemic in some way and show kindness and healthy attributions towards others. We don’t know why a teacher doesn’t respond to a student’s email. We don’t know why a student doesn’t submit work. We don’t know why someone is venting on social media. We don’t know why our neighbor has guests over. We don’t know why a business who is permitted to be open is closed. We don’t know why someone is not wearing a mask. We don’t know who is struggling and how. We have a tendency to blame others. Let’s pause and challenge ourselves to come up with 2-3 alternative explanations for someone else’s behavior. This shows kindness to others and also exercises your cognitive skills.  

Remember that challenges can bring us together and we can learn, grow, and make healthy changes for the future.  

Coping with COVID-19 Related Mental Health Challenges

How are you doing and coping? I hope you are prioritizing self-care, having some fun, and staying healthy. This month I am sharing an excellent and detailed resource for coping with a variety of mental health challenges related to COVID-19, social distancing guidelines and recent changes in our daily schedules. I am hopeful that this resource will be helpful and supportive. 

http://psychrescue-covid19.com/ 

COPE 

I am writing to you during a very interesting, unique, and unprecedented time in our history. In my role, I have seen the increase in anxiety that has developed regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. My goal is to help all of us COPE in a healthy way so that our lives can continue to be meaningful. 

Connect with others 

Social distancing can be difficult, but this practice does not need to keep you from connecting with others. Consider chatting via video or text with friends and family. Take a walk together (keeping at least 6 feet apart). Drive to a local beach or park that is open, meet others and listen to music while everyone stays in their own car. Share pictures.  Connect with others on social media. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while on the phone (yes, I said to call, not just text). Forgive people who have hurt you. Join an online class.  

Offer help and assistance 

Your skills, compassion, and talent are needed. How can you help someone else? This may be delivering groceries to an elderly neighbor or sick friend (drop at the door). You may call someone who is feeling lonely. You can donate a gift card, food, or money to a local food bank or mission. You can read with your children.  You can make a rainbow and hang it on your front door or windows. You can send a loving e-card to a friend or family member.  Send a loving thank you note to our healthcare workers. Contact your local nursing home for opportunities to share messages of hope and love for the residents via video. 

Practice good hygiene, healthy eating, exercise and handwashing 

I know you’ve been hearing this a lot lately, but it is important. Take care of yourself. You will be healthier and a better husband/wife, son/daughter, girlfriend/boyfriend, employee, parent, partner, co-worker and leader if you do.  Eat a well-balanced nutritious diet. Go outside. Exercise. Wash those hands! 

Enjoy life and make the most of it 

These are weird and challenging times.  We are all in this together. We can enjoy unstructured time. We can find the odd balance between working at home and parenting. We can adjust to different schedules. We can still be connected socially. We can bake and try new recipes. We can learn from great authors (check out lunch doddles with Mo Willems https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/). We can take a virtual museum tour. We can watch movies. We can read. We can learn a new skill. We can spend time with our families. We can be less distracted with the usual business of life and embrace some simplicity. We can and would benefit greatly from limiting our news intake.  

Thank you to every single health care worker and essential workforce member- you are working so hard to keep people healthy and the world running as normal and safely as possible. I am forever grateful.