Sunday Family Dinner – Shift Your Focus

I have struggled to write this post for several weeks and even now it’s difficult for me to formulate exactly what I want to say. Myself, just like the rest of the world is dealing with the crisis of this pandemic. We are all feeling various emotions from anxiety, to fear, to frustration, to uncertainty, and even confusion.

As a mental health professional, it is my duty to help us all navigate this crisis in a more healthy way; spiritually, emotionally/mentally, physically. For me, that means it is time for us to shift our focus. Before this crisis, I believe our focus was on things that were not as important; such as how much money we make, how big our houses are, amassing material possessions, working long hours, fighting over things like race, ethnicity, education levels, and socioeconomic status; and we could add even more to this list. Prior to this crisis, we were not spending quality time with our family and friends. We were not taking care of our bodies appropriately and were not making time with God a priority.

Now that we are in the midst of this crisis and have stay at home orders, we are forced, so to speak, to spend time with our families and give our children the uninterrupted quality time they need. Some of us are praying more and spending more time with God in the last month than we have in the last year. So, in this edition of the Sunday Family Dinner blog, as you are having dinner with your family, think about shifting your focus. Shift your focus, first back on God or spiritual matters. Next shift your focus back on your family, loved ones, and friends. Then shift your focus back to yourself and doing those things that will keep you healthy, spiritually, emotionally/mentally, and physically.

As a mental health professional, a few tips I have to help you navigate this time are:

1. If you were previously seeing a therapist or you have mental health issues, stay connected to your therapist. A lot of therapist are doing teletherapy to continue to provide services to their clients.

2. Limit how much and how often you watch the news related to the coronavirus crisis. Stay informed but do not oversaturate yourself with the news to the point of causing anxiety and panic.

3. Find a way to get some form of exercise or physical activity in.

4. Spend time in prayer to God or the higher power that you pray to.

5. Spend time meditating. Insight Timer and Headspace are good apps to use for meditation.

6. Choose more healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean cuts of meat. Also, take your vitamins and supplements that support immune health.

As challenging as this time may be, let’s shift our focus and look at the positives. Be grateful for health and having people in your life to love. A bonus tip, start a gratitude journal to help remind you of all of the things you have to be grateful for.

To help you focus more on gratitude, purchase The Year of Gratitude today on Amazon.

Creating Lifestyles for Success,

Dr. Daphne