You asked: “How do you deal with mask anxiety?”
In this video post, we're gonna focus on Dialectical Behavior Therapy’s 7 IMPROVE the moment skills,
which are all about helping you change the way you think and feel about a situation when you don't have much control over the circumstances,
like wearing a face mask. Thank you global pandemic…. 😒
If you prefer to watch the video, click this image here:
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If you prefer to read, here’s what you need to know about these 7 DBT skills to help you IMPROVE your face mask anxiety:
IMAGERY
You know Michael Phelps, right? Eight-time Olympic gold medalist? He is one of the most prominent, well-known people who make use of the imagery skill.
Imagery can be used in a variety of different ways:
🤔You can sit and imagine what your future would be like
🧘♀️You can use guided imagery like with those meditation apps where they like to say, “imagine you're sitting on the top of a mountain.”
🏊♂️Michael Phelps uses visualization to actually imagine how he's gonna compete in the pool, and then he does it.
Our mind believes whatever we tell it.
If you are imagining that you're actually sitting on a calm beach, your mind thinks that you're actually there, until you tell it differently.
An activity that I really love to do with people when it comes to using imagery to cope with mask anxiety is to take a moment and pause, close your eyes (if that's helpful. If not, keep them open), and just imagine that you're in a space where you can breathe easier.
There's a cool thing that happens, our bodies start to actually believe that we're there.
You might imagine a calm, safe place where you're allowed to walk around without your mask without worry about spreading a global pandemic. Now wouldn’t that be nice?
MEANING
When you can focus on why you’re in a certain situation, you can attach meaning to a choice or a circumstance that you're currently in.
It helps us to feel connected and less stressed out.
So many of us know that wearing a mask is preventing harm and danger for other people. By taking that small step of wearing a mask in your day-to-day activities when you are not able to watch your distance, you are making a positive impact on other people's health, wellbeing, and safety.
And I, like many, thank you!
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PRAYER/ SPIRITUALITY
Some people find meaning through their prayer or spirituality practices. I wanna just take a moment and pause because, for some people, prayer and spirituality is a religious connection and experience. And for others, it's not.
We all have spirituality, whether you ascribe to a religion or not.
Spirituality is the idea and connection to other people and other circumstances that are beyond our control.
If prayer’s not your thing, you can try engaging in these spiritual practices:
📝 Journaling
🧘♀️ Meditating
🛐 Attending a church or synagogue
🕺 Dancing
🎤 Singing
Whatever is gonna help you pause, reflect, and recognize that stronger connection beyond ourselves.
RELAXATION
Physically relaxing our body’s responses to the stress and anxiety we feel when wearing a mask is going to be so helpful right now.
When we feel stressed out, our body tends to stiffen and harden against danger because our bodies are pretty soft. They're pretty easy to hurt, actually. But, by tightening up and getting hard like that, it actually lessens the ability for harm to occur.
So your body naturally does this when it senses danger, whether that's in your mind, perceived danger, or actual threats that are happening right now.
Some great ways to do this is by practicing your TIPP skills or those DBT crisis survival skills. You can click here to watch a great video reviewing thes 4 skills.
ONE THING
Without fail, just taking a moment to pause and focus on one thing at a time will actually help to decrease your stress and anxiety when wearing a mask.
Some things you can focus on are:
🚙 Getting to your car
♿️ Staring at a poster in front of you
👣 Being where your feet are- right here, right now
You can also ground yourself by focusing on one or more of your 5 senses:
👀 Sight
👂 Sound
🖐 Physical Touch
👅 Taste
👃 Smell
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VACATION
When you're not in a position where you can physically leave the situation or change it, such as wearing a mask, you might be able to make use of the vacation skill, that is taking a break.
So if you can, and you have the option or ability to move outside to an area where you're gonna have enough space around people where you can take your mask off and just have a few moments to just breathe, without fear of risking anybody else's health, well-being, or safety, do that.
If you don't have that option, taking a little mental break or vacation can be helpful as well.
ENCOURAGEMENT
Reminding yourself that you're doing a good job is gonna be so, so helpful here.
When we can talk encouragingly and positively to ourselves, it can relieve and turn down that dial on the anxiety.
Select a phrase, saying, or mantra that you can repeat to yourself about why it is that you're doing this or that you're doing a good job when you wear your face mask.
Tell me….
What information did you find most valuable and helpful? Let me know in the comments over on my YouTube channel- you can click here to go to this video.
And please be sure to share this video because you never know who you could be helping in the process.
Looking for a fun way to use one of these skills? Click this link to watch a great video on how you can use dream jars to practice imagery.
IF YOU ARE CONCERNED THAT YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW, MAY BE CONSIDERING KILLING THEMSELVES, PLEASE CONNECT THEM WITH HELP.
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