Our homes have always been a place where we feel comfortable. During the past year, our homes may have been the only place we felt comfortable. A life-threatening virus, stay-at-home orders, socially distancing, wearing masks, sanitization protocols, political unrest, non-stop news reporting and more produced a lot of trauma and anxiety and it changed the way many of us feel about being out in the world.
Say NO to the Negatives!
One of the things that can fuel anxiety is negative thinking and catastrophizing. We have to challenge these negative thought patterns or we will get stuck in them.
“Negative news can fuel negative thinking,” said Ron DeVries, PsyD, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services. “If that’s true for you, then you need to cut off the fuel supply. Yes, I’m saying you should turn off the news–whether it’s broadcast news, social media, the radio or even negative friends.”
Read more of Kris’ tips here for venturing out of your comfort zone in our July/Aug issue.
