28 January 2021
MENTAL FITNESS
This is our final week in the MENTAL FITNESS series, where we focus on mental health strategies to help you strengthen your mind and improve your mood. A huge thank you to James Lamper and his team at EmotionMatters in putting together this series for us.
Have you been stuck at home with flatmates, your partner or your family? This may be of interest, as we talk about coping with relationship challenges during lockdown.
WEEK 4 - RELATIONSHIP CHALLENGES
The past 11 months have required us to live with partners, family members or housemates, with little time apart. It is normal to feel that some of our relationships are strained during this time.
Small challenges can build up and create problems in relationships. For example, you may suddenly notice small things about the people you live with which bother you, or you may feel that others aren’t helping out with household chores. These stressors can accumulate and make us feel frustrated and trapped.
You may be living alone, and struggling to maintain a long distance relationship. You may miss your partner, and the uncertainty of lockdown may make this feel harder to cope with. You may feel it is difficult to communicate how you’re feeling, especially online or over the phone, and may end up feeling misunderstood and disconnected as a result.
During lockdown, you may be feeling more irritable than usual, and this can lead to communication problems and arguments. Spending longer periods of time with certain people in our lives might cause us to take on each other’s emotional load. In lockdown, where each of us may be facing our own mental health struggles, we may feel more easily overwhelmed by the difficulties that people close to us are facing.
Here are some tips and strategies to help you ease any pressures, and improve communication, in your relationships during lockdown.
Quality time over quantity - plan to give each other space during the day while you get on with your daily tasks, as well as schedule activities that you can do together. This can help make the time you spend together more meaningful and enjoyable.
Establish boundaries - it is important to understand our limits and what we are comfortable with. Allowing people full access to ourselves can create stress and anxiety. Asserting boundaries can include limits on time spent together, the belongings you are willing to share, and how much emotional energy you are able to provide and take in.
Communicate with each other - maintain open and honest communication with each other. Plan a walk at the end of your work day, and talk about what’s been challenging, and what’s made you smile. Sharing in this way stops any resentment building up, and gives you both permission to talk about how you feel.
BOOM OFFER
If you, or someone you know, needs a little extra support to get on top of some mental health issues, EmotionMatters has a large experienced team of counsellors, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists who can help you move towards mental wellness.
To coincide with national ‘Time To Talk’ day on February 4th, EmotionMatters are offering all Boom riders, and their friends and family, two sessions free when they choose to start therapy and purchase an initial block of 6-sessions.
All you need to do is go to the EmotionMatters website and book a free assessment call. On the call mention BOOM FEBRUARY OFFER, and after your initial free 30-minute session with one of the therapists, if you decide to move forwards with an initial block of 6-sessions, you will get 2 extra sessions for free.
All sessions are online from the safety of your home during lockdown. Make sure you book your assessment call before 28th February 2021, and all initial blocks of therapy must start before 31st March 2021 for the offer to be valid.
