Have you noticed how a baby begins to crawl and the process by which he/she gains confidence eventually, after a period of time realising they can stand if they can just get a grip of something to hold onto. Next, watching in the wings there is a doting parent who praises the child as though no baby had ever achieved such a feat before, and it is quite probable the child will then do it again and again until they get right up on their feet and cautiously try to walk towards the parent or carer often falling down and being encouraged to get up again.The parent or carer may call the child giving eye contact and eventually the youngster reaches them and once again is praised.
It is getting nearer to an easement of the lock-down restrictions and the above is a useful analogy of how some may feel if they haven’t been out much for a while.Lets make some movement towards understanding how to begin creeping in the current context.
When dealing with anxiety such as that raised by the pandemic we are faced with something we do not know and understand and this could be called trauma, because with trauma one of the key factors is a difficulty in coping with something which we have had no previous experience of, and consequently we have no mechanisms in place to understand it and deal with it.
Let’s set some things in place :-
1 Experiencing a huge global crisis such as the pandemic is, and has been very scary for reasons indicated above.
2 It may be quite normal to be scared fearful feel panic, and just wish you could run away to a safe place.
3 Even if you have had anxiety and depression issues prior to the pandemic it does not necessarily mean you are going to get Post traumatic stress disorder, or the new designer problem currently coined ‘continuing traumatic stress disorder.’
4 There are complex traumatic disorders for which medical and therapeutic treatments are required but it is not a given that you will get them.
Come on begin to creep forward with me. A normal baby will usually creep before they walk and as we go out more and more we may need to go slowly and encourage ourselves for everything we achieve.
Sit down quietly and consider and normalise your feelings so you can begin this journey I’m going to call it ‘the creeping excercise’.
Trust your brain it can change and cope, it is not static, but plastic in a sense and can compensate and heal.
Use this simple breathing excercise.
Sit comfortably in your favourite chair breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth real belly breathing do this four times.
Tell yourself ‘my mind is happy and my body is calm.’
Get up slowly and walk to the door
I sense you can’t go any further, doesn’t matter go back sit down and leave it for today.
If you have a friend ask them to stand outside next time so you have a support.
Allow yourself to gradually free yourself more and more every little achievement however small is progress, your progress, so do these excercises at your pace.
Don’t push yourself no need to multitask, and when finished each time praise yourself in some way even give yourself a nice reward your favourite coffee television programme whatever.
As you practise creeping you will become more confident and creative allow your imagination to unfold to help yourself.
Don’t hit me I’ve had my own journey all human beings are connected in this collective experience I’m with you, and God as you may or may not understand him is a constant presence at your side.
This is just a beginning let’s continue to creep and creatively find support and things to hold unto so that we can creep at times, walk, be creative.
HEY STOP! LOOK THAT WOMAN IS RUNNING AMAZING!
aoibheann thoughtful reflections 