It’s no surprise that the last year alone has been challenging for everyone for multiple reasons. If you were lucky enough to not be affected by the physical symptoms/conditions of the pandemic, you probably still shifted your life to try and keep it from spreading. Spending an isolated year at home with little-to-no contact with the outside world except for our social media surely pays a toll on our mental health.
Michelle Shiota, expert on emotions and psychologist as Arizona State University explains the feeling many have come to know too well:
I don’t know if you’ve ever worn a corset, but I had this very tight, straining feeling in my mind,
My mind had shrunk.
I will be honest, for the past 14 months, I have spent most of my waking hours looking at a screen, either my laptop, or my phone or a TV screen.
With anxiety and depression rate growing, it is important that we find healthy ways to illicit joy, fulfillment, and relaxation. For a fun, random idea that could spark joy, check out NPR’s Joy Generator. In order to Shiota to improve her mood that came from isolation, she explains her time and thought-process in the Annuals of the New York Academy of Sciences:
I am trying to reconnect with the vast natural world, with the universe beyond my professional and personal responsibilities, and beyond this moment in time,
I am searching for awe.
but I think that what we are dealing with is a change that happens in our mind – and in our bodies and in our feelings – when we encounter something so extraordinary that we can’t explain it.
It can be a very complex and powerful song that you’ve never heard before or even a scene in a TV show,
We simply slow down our body, slow down,
I’ve found evidence that the activation of our fight-flight sympathetic nervous system dials back a little bit.
What a beautiful explanation of how we respond to something we are fascinated by! To help create awe and joy in your life, try going on a peaceful walk, making sure to notice some of the intricate beauties in nature, listen to some calm nature sounds, or simply think of things you are grateful for! If you found this article interesting, check out this one on how loneliness is now a greater health risk than smoking or obesity.
