Healing Hearts Marriage and Family Therapy, Inc.

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Laughter is Medicine

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Hello all,

In the midst of the chaos, sadness, frustration and grief, we need to find some humor.

I've always said that laughter/humor is good for the soul.  It allows us, even if it's for a few minutes, to distract ourselves from pandemonium. Today was a perfect day for such humor and laughter.

I recently videotaped a presentation on reducing anxiety and negative thinking.  (Check it out @thepinkribbonplace).  One of the techniques (amongst many) that I presented was on being silly and how that brings about laughter.

Today, my husband, mom and myself went to get our COVID 19 testing.  We have no symptoms whatsoever, but the testing has opened up to everyone in my County, so we decided to get tested.  Let me say it was seamless and took about 30 minutes from beginning to end.

At our first check point, a young lady came to the car, my husband rolled down the windows and she immediately told him to roll them back up.  Our laughter started here as my mom and I began to give my husband the same instructions.

We arrived at our next and final check point.  The nurse started with my husband.  She told him to open wide and say "awe" then proceeded to try to insert a tongue suppressor, then the swab.  Apparently, my husband hadn't opened his mouth wide enough, so she repeated "please open your mouth wider."  He did so, but it still needed to be opened more, so she asked him again "please open your mouth wider."  At the same time, he began to gag, as we all did.  My mom and I began to laugh because he was making the process more difficult for himself. There was about a 5-minute interval between each of us, so we had plenty of time to laugh some more.  I mean, take a moment to imagine the scene...the three of us sitting in the car, windows rolled up and with face masks.   Then it was my mom's turn and then mine.  Mom and I did it without a hitch or repetitive instructions by the nurses.  We did gag too, of course, and I giggled (remembering my husband's and mom's turn) as they put the swab down my throat.

As we left, we couldn't stop laughing at each other.  It was one of the best days we've had since we started the stay-at-home orders.  The outing made it all the better as it felt like we were going to a resort.  We were giddy.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, even in the darkest moments, we must find light.  And so we did today.

Don't forget, be silly, laugh and be safe.

Sincerely,

Teresa Alvarado, LMFT

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COVID -19 Anxiety and Depression

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Hi Everyone,

This is my first post, but it’s a very important one that I’d like to share with everyone.

We are certainly right smack in an unprecedented time and that few of us have ever experienced.  With the pandemic felt world wide, the stay at home orders, people perishing and having to make a total change in how we do things, it sure can spark a wide ray of emotions such as anxiety, fear, depression and grief.

I’ like to say that feeling anxious, afraid and depressed during these times is a normal reaction and emotion to have.  Some of us suffer from these ailments outside of these times too.

Let me start by saying that talking about anxiety, fear and depression at any time is important because so many people suffer from these mental health disorders, but it’s even more important to talk about it today given the circumstances that we are in.

The good news is that we can overcome anxiety, depression and fear, if we are willing to work at it and it does take work.

Think about this, in generations past there have been many plagues/virus’ such as the Bubonic plague, the Spanish influenza, Polio, Leprosy, Cholera, Typhus, just to name a few.

Despite the losses in death, humanity has always prevailed, so, let’s keep hope alive.

Here are a few things that you can do to help ease some of the anxiety, fear, depression and grief you may have.  Before I provide you with some techniques to help you, let me talk about grief.

Grief can come in many forms.  Often people think that grief is only felt when a loved one passes on.  Grief can come about when there is a loss of employment, of a relationship, of a loved one, due natural disasters, and of course the current pandemic.  Grief is experienced in 5 stages.  Stage 1 – Denial, Stage 2 -Anger, Stage 3 – Bargaining, Stage 4 – Depression, Stage 5 – Acceptance.  Sometimes you will go through each cycle multiple times.

Here are a few things you can do to help ease the anxiety, stress, fear, depression and grief.

  1. Meditate (download an app on your phone or on your computer)
  2. Exercise (walk in the back yard, on the treadmill, etc.)
  3. Stretch
  4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Tense each muscle in sections, hold for 7 second and then release)
  5. Deep Breathing (inhale through your mouth, counting from 1-4 seconds, exhale through your mouth counting from 1-4 seconds.  Repeat as many times as you need to feel the relaxation.)
  6. Imagery (Imagine yourself in your favorite place, where you feel peace and relaxation.  It can be the beach, the mountains, the cabin in the mountains, a garden full of roses, etc.)
  7. Mindfulness ( Think about the present moment using your 5 senses – sight, touch, taste, sound, smell)
  8. Journal your feelings (whatever they may be)
  9. Take a bubble bath
  10. Use aromatherapy (lavender is soothing)
  11. Draw/Paint
  12. Read

These are just a few things to do to keep yourself busy during this stay at home order.

Remember, this too shall pass and that it’s important to talk to someone.  Reach out for family, friends or a trained specialist.  Many therapists are providing therapy via phone or by video.

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