Hi Sonalee, it’s terribly overwhelming to hear the stories, watch the news, and just be around lockdowns all over again. In some ways, it seems repetitive and claustrophobic. It’s natural to feel bogged down by it. How I generally manage it for myself is:
– I generally consume news in a way that I get just enough to be aware of the goings-on, without going into the spiral of negativity
– If it does get overwhelming, it helps to really validate your feelings because we are in difficult times and sometimes it’s just too much and you’re allowed to take your break and say it’s enough.
– I also practice mindfulness and self-care. Being able to engage whole-heartedly in things you enjoy by carving that time for yourself for at least 30 minutes a day (sometimes a lot more!) can work wonders.
– Connecting with nature through gardening, pets, listening to the sounds of the birds, watching a sunrise/sunset can be very soothing
– Connecting with people who bring us joy and having conversations about things that you can do =) maybe baking, painting, doing a solo-dance session (great for endorphins and even better to not feel stuck!) can be great and finding a sense of joy and accomplishment
I am not much of a gardener, but due to the lack of going to parks when covid started, I grew my own garden. My latest pride and joy is that I have many passion fruit flowers and my hollyhocks have finally bloomed =)!
I do hope you’re able to find your joy! Sending you love and warmth.
Right now, there’s a lot going on and it often helps to soothe ourselves in times

It’s actually worse in some ways than it was a year ago, mostly because we knew it was coming, and didn’t / couldn’t do anything about it. We’re also all exhausted from being anxious, alert, careful all year long. And just as it seemed that the vaccines were coming, we’re back in the thick of it.
I strongly recommend a media / social media detox for a few days, esp. if the anxiety is getting to you. Escapism is a good thing, sometimes 🙂 (I deleted my news & SM apps from my phone for a few days, just so I wasn’t incessantly scanning for the latest. It helped tremendously.)
Stay home, stay safe, do what you can for your mental & emotional well-being. We’ve been through it before – this too shall pass.
In solidarity!
Gita

We were all looking forward to better times but what’s happening around is disappointing, frustrating and anxiety provoking. While we do acknowledge these feelings, I think what can help us stay positive is to focus on what is within our control, like continuing safety practices, ensuring we follow some routine in our lives, staying in touch with loved ones, engaging in simple things like going for walks or learning something new and most of all doing our best to look at all those little things that are still going well for us and counting our blessings. On the other hand focusing on things which are our beyond our control currently, can set us off on a negative spiral and its best we avoid that route as much as we can.