Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times

During uncertain times it's more important than ever to cultivate hope (see my article: Combining Hope With Meaningful Action).

Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times

According to Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor and author of Man's Search For Meaning, hope is a choice and a powerful force during the worst of times. 

He posited that everything can be taken away from an individual, but hope cannot be taken away (see my article: A Search For a Meaningful Life).

Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times

Hope isn't contingent on external circumstances (see my article: Living With Uncertainty).  

Instead, hope is your own internal resolve and perspective. Hope requires a desire for a particular outcome and, even though that outcome isn't guaranteed, the act of hoping can strengthen your sense of resilience.

What Can You Do to Cultivate Hope During Uncertain Times?

To cultivate hope:

• Find Purpose and Meaning in Your Life: Engage in activities that give you a sense of purpose, meaning and joy (see my article: Finding Meaning and Purpose in Your Life After Trauma).

• Remember Your Successes From the Past: Remember the times in the past when you overcame challenges and allow those memories to motivate you.

Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times

• Journal: Write down your thoughts, emotions, progress and insights along the way (see my article: Journaling Can Help Relieve Stress and Anxiety).

• Prioritize Connection and Community: Connecting with others who also want to cultivate hope can provide you with a sense of belonging and a community. Getting together with others can help build strong relationships and a collective sense of hope (see my article: The Need For Community and a Sense of Belonging).

• Seek Out Inspiration: Inspiration can come from others who have overcome whatever challenges you're facing. This could be people you know or you might find it in a story or biography about someone who overcame adversity.

• Challenge Your Negative Thoughts: Become aware of how your negative thoughts might be causing you to slip into a state of hopelessness and helplessness.  Don't allow your negative thoughts to spiral. Look for evidence, no matter how small, of a more hopeful outcome to problems (see my article: 5 Tips For Challenging Negative Thoughts).

• Reframe "What If" Thoughts: Instead of focusing on "What if I fail?" or "What if it all goes wrong?", reframe your thoughts to focus on what might be the silver lining in your situation (see my article: Developing a Different Perspective Through Reframing).

Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times

• Take Small Steps: If the problem you're facing is big, take small and steady steps towards your goal so you can build momentum toward the bigger goal. 

• Celebrate Small Wins Towards Your Goal: Learn to celebrate small wins on your way to accomplishing your goal (see my article: How to Celebrate Your Progress).

• Practice Self Care: When you're going through uncertain times, you need to prioritize self care in ways that are meaningful to you. Eat well, get enough sleep and exercise at a level that's right for you to boost your mood (see my article: Taking the Time For Self Care).                        

Get Help in Therapy

If you are going through a particularly difficult time and self help strategies aren't enough, seek help from a licensed mental health professional.

Get Help in Therapy

A skilled psychotherapist can help you to overcome the obstacles that might be getting in your way so you can lead a more fulfilling life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

 

The Challenges of the "Sandwich Generation": Raising Children and Taking Care of Elderly Parents

The "sandwich generation" refers to adults who are raising their own children while taking care of elderly parents at the same time.  It's called the "sandwich generation" because these individuals are caught between their responsibilities for their children and their aging parents.

Raising Children and Taking Care of Elderly Parents

What Are the Challenges Faced By the "Sandwich Generation"?

Here are the most common challenges for individuals trying to balance their roles as caregivers for their children and their elder parents:

• Stress and Emotional Toll: Juggling these two major caregiving roles can lead to high levels of stress, exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed.

• Role Reversal: The role reversal of taking care of parents can be emotionally challenging, especially as parents' health declines.

• Time Constraints: These individuals spend a good deal of time balancing their responsibilities for their children and their parents which can leave little time personal time (see my article: Self Care For Caregivers).

• Financial Strain: The cost of taking care of children and elderly parents can create a significant financial burden.

How to Cope With the Challenges

• Get Organized: Keep track of appointments, medications and finances to address stress and confusion.

Raising Children and Taking Care of Elderly Parents

• Don't Forget Self Care: Try to find time for self care. Make sure you get enough rest, eat healthy meals and get exercise at a level that is appropriate for you.  Also, try to find time to do activities you enjoy (see my article: Learning to Balance Taking Care of Your Own Needs and the Needs of Your Loved Ones).

• Communicate Openly With Family Members: If you (or you and your partner) are bearing the brunt of taking care of elderly parents, have an honest conversation with family members about your feelings and needs.

• Seek and Accept Help: After you have had an honest and open talk with family members, delegate certain tasks to them when possible. If that's not possible, ask them if they can help financially so you can hire a home attendant (see the clinical vignette below).

• Set Boundaries: Learn to say "no" to additional responsibilities and try to avoid taking on too much (see my article: Setting Boundaries Without Guilt).

• Look For Small Joys: Try to find moments of joy and connection with your loved ones--even in the midst in all you have to do. 

Clinical Vignette

The following clinical vignette, which is a composite of many cases, illustrates how to deal with some of the challenges of being part of the "sandwich generation":

Dina

As the oldest of three daughters, Dina took in her elderly parents when they could no longer live on their own.  At the same time, she and her husband, Tom, were raising their two teenage sons.

When Dina was growing up, she was expected to take on responsibilities, as compared as the oldest child and her two younger sisters took on none.  Her parents expected her to do many of the household chores while her sisters were allowed to go out with their friends.

When she graduated high school, Dina attended an out of state college to get away from her family responsibilities and, after she graduated, she got an apartment with her former college roommates.

Years later, after Dina got married and she had children, she continued to help her parents, but after they could no longer live on their own, she felt obligated to take them in. 

Raising Children and Taking Care of Elderly Parents

Before her parents came to live with Dina and Tom, Tom urged Dina to talk to her sisters about helping out more. Tom had always been generous in helping Dina's parents, but he could foresee the toll it was going to take on each of them. Dina was so accustomed to taking on responsibilities as the oldest child that she didn't question whether her sisters should help and she didn't want to talk to them about it.

Their teenage sons helped out when they could, but they were busy with school, their friends, applying to college and sports, and Dina didn't want to rely on them or deprive them of what they needed and wanted to do.

Within a few months, Dina and Tom felt overwhelmed taking care of her parents. Dina wasn't sleeping well and she had very little appetite. She also stopped her usual self care routines--meditation and yoga practices because she didn't have time. She also stopped seeing her close friends. 

Tom also curtailed his outings with friends because he was trying to do as much as he could to help Dina. He was also concerned about his elderly parents who were independent at that point, but he didn't know when they would also need help.

One day when Tom came home from the grocery store, he found Dina in their bedroom sobbing. She looked stressed and worn out. When she saw him, she tried to dry her tears and act like she was alright, but Tom knew Dina had reached her limit.

Tom sat next to Dina and put his arm around her, "We need to talk to your sisters. I know what you're going to say--that as the oldest you've always been the one to take on all the responsibilities, but we can't keep going on like this."

At first, Dina insisted she could continue to take care of her parents, but she knew Tom was right, so they talked about how to approach her sisters.  

A week later, Dina's sisters, Paula and Meg, came over for lunch on a Saturday. At that hour, their parents were upstairs napping. 

Dina felt anxious and guilty. She felt she was abducating her responsibilities. She also anticipated that Paula and Meg wouldn't respond well to her asking them to help.

When Dina told her sisters that she was completely overwhelmed with taking care of their parents, she had to endure her sisters' silence and discomfort. Both sisters looked off in the distance and appeared annoyed.

Tom supported Dina in the conversation and told them that they needed to help.  Paula and Meg responded with many excuses about why they didn't have the time and couldn't help. Soon after that, they both left in a hurry.

Dina felt angry, resentful and sad after they left. She and Tom talked about what they could do next and they decided to have another meeting with Paula and Meg, but this time they would include a third party, a geriatric care manager, there to mediate their discussion.

Initially, Paula and Meg continued to make excuses for not helping at all. While they spoke, the geriatric care manager listened carefully and empathized with them.  Then, she tried to find a compromise where they could offer financial help so Dina and Tom could hire a home attendant for help.

Dina's sisters were so relieved that they didn't have to take their parents in that they readily agreed to offer financial help so Dina and Tom could have more time for themselves.  After that, Dina and Tom felt a lot less stressed because they had help and more time to themselves.

A few months later, Dina's parents decided they would prefer to live in an assisted living facility, so Dina and Tom went with them to see several facilities until they found one they liked and could afford.

After this experience, Dina realized she was so conditioned since childhood to take on most of the responsibilities and she had not learned to take care of herself.  

Once her parents were situated in the assisted living facility, she began therapy to work on this.  Her therapist helped Dina to feel entitled to take care of herself. Dina also worked through the sadness, anger and resentment she had been unaware of for most of her life.  

Conclusion

Being in the dual role of taking raising children and taking care of elderly parents is stressful and emotionally draining for most people.

Without even realizing it, you might be repeating lifelong patterns of doing too much and not taking care of yourself, as discussed in the vignette above.

In certain situations, there might be ways to help alleviate the stress if other family members are willing to help.  If not, you might be able to use the services of a geriatric care manager or someone who is outside the situation who can mediate family discussions to see if there is a compromise.

If you're able, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who can help you to cope with the stress and emotional toll. She can also help you to overcome old behavioral patterns that keep you stuck.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR,AEDP, EFT (for couples), IFS, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

You Can't Understand Your "Yeses" If You Don't Understand Your "Nos" and "Maybes"

For you to truly understand what you're agreeing to, you also need to understand what you're declining and what you're not sure about.  

This is true for all areas of your life whether it involves your loved ones, your work or other areas of your life.

Understanding Your "Yeses", "Nos" and "Maybes"

How Can You Learn to Understand Your "Yeses", "Nos" and "Maybes"?

Here are some tips:

• Develop Self Awareness: To really know what you want, you need to develop a deeper understanding of yourself using your self reflective capacity. Before you say "Yes" to someone think about how you might be saying "No" to other choices and excluding other possibilities. So, for instance, before you say "Yes" to being in an exclusive relationship with someone, think about whether you're ready to give up seeing other people and what this might be like. Reflect on what the tradeoffs are in making one choice versus making another (see my article: What is Self Reflective Capacity and Why Is It Important to You?)

Understanding Your "Yeses", "Nos" and "Maybes"

• Prioritize What's Important to You: Instead of spreading yourself thin by people pleasing and agreeing to do things you don't want to do, prioritize what's most important to you. For instance, if you're in a relationship with someone who wants to spend all their free time with you but you know you need some time for yourself, you need to honor what you need and communicate this to your partner. If possible, try to find a compromise without neglecting your needs (see my article: Time Apart vs Time Together).

Understanding Your "Yeses", "Nos" and "Maybes"

• Boundary Setting, Self Respect and Self Care: Know how to set boundaries with others for your own well-being. This is related to prioritizing what's important to you. This involves being assertive in a tactful way in order to respect your own needs and take care of yourself (see my article: Self Care Is Not Selfish).

How Can This Be Challenging For You?

Understanding your 'yeses", "nos" and "maybes" and following through with what you need might be challenging for you because you never learned to do it and maybe you were even taught that taking care of yourself in this way is selfish--even though it's not.

Clinical Vignette

The following clinical vignette illustrates the challenges involved with understanding what you really want and how Experiential Therapy can help:

Jane

Jane, who was in her early 30s, was raised to believe she should always put others first before herself, so she would agree to do things she didn't really want to do and she would often feel exhausted afterwards.

She would say "Yes" to anyone in her life who asked her to do a favor or to spend time with them or to listen endlessly to her friend's ongoing crises (see my article: Are You Overwhelmed By Your Friends' Problems?).

When she got romantically involved with John and they became sexual, Jane wasn't sure what she liked and what she didn't like sexually so she agreed to everything John wanted, but then she felt bad about herself afterwards because she wasn't sure if she wanted to do what she did.

One day John told her he sensed that she didn't enjoy performing oral sex on him--even though she did it and she didn't complain. He told her he didn't want her to just comply--he wanted her to want to do it and, if she didn't, he wanted her to tell him. But at that point, Jane didn't know how to respond to him because she had little awareness of what she liked and what she didn't.

Understanding Your "Yeses", "Nos" and "Maybes"

Jane realized she had little self awareness about what she liked and she didn't know how to develop self awareness. So, she sought help in Experiential Therapy (see my article: Why Experiential Therapy is More Effective Than Regular Talk Therapy).

Her therapist helped Jane to understand the connection between her family background and her current problems (see my article: Why Is Family History Important in Psychotherapy?).

Her parents, who were well intentioned, lived their lives in a way where they were always giving to others and expected very little for themselves ,and they raised Jane and her siblings in this way.

Her therapist taught Jane how to use mind-body oriented techniques, like mindfulness meditation to get to be in the present moment and to get to know herself. She also encouraged Jane to use a journal to reflect on her thoughts and emotions (see my article: Experiential Therapy and the Minid-Body Connection: The Body Offers a Window Into the Unconscious Mind).

Experiential Therapy includes: 

• EMDR Therapy

• Parts Work Therapy

• AEDP

Jane's work in Experiential Therapy was neither quick nor easy, but she stuck with it because she realized she was developing a deeper connection with herself and getting to know herself better.

Gradually, Jane began to understand her "yeses", her "nos" and her "maybes". She also learned to be assertive in a tactful and caring way with the people in her life.

Getting to know herself sexually was the most challenging for Jane because she had conflicted feelings about pleasure and solo pleasure.

Over time, she was able to overcome her guilt and shame about sex, and she developed a healthy relationship with her own body which allowed her to discover what she enjoyed.

Her therapist, who was an Experiential therapist as well as a sex therapist, helped Jane to consider many sexual possibilities by introducing Jane to a "Yes, No, Maybe" list of sexual activities. 

Jane used the list, which had on scale from 1-5, to discover what appealed to her, what she didn didn't like and what she wasn't sure about (see my article: What Are Common Issues Discussed in Sex Therapy?)

When Jane told John that she didn't enjoy oral sex, but she did enjoy other sexual activities, she was surprised that he was so understanding. This allowed her to open up and get curious emotionally and sexually with John so their relationship developed in new and exciting ways.

Conclusion

You can't understand your "yeses" if you don't know your "nos" and "maybes".

Developing self awareness is the first step in getting to know yourself better and being able to communicate with others.

People pleasing often poses an obstacle to getting to know and take care of yourself and to being able to communicate honestly with others.

When you can prioritize your own needs and set healthy boundaries with others, you will be on your way to respecting your needs, taking care of yourself and being genuine with others.

Getting Help in Experiential Therapy

Being able to understand and assert your needs can be challenging for a variety of reasons, including an upbringing focused on always prioritizing the needs of others. 

Experiential Therapy, which focuses on the mind-body connection, is uniquely suited for helping clients to get to attune to themselves and to interact in a healthy way with others.

If you have been struggling with understanding your needs and setting boundaries with others, you could benefit from working with an Experiential Therapist.

Getting Help in Experiential Therapy

A skilled Experiential Therapist can help you to develop increased self awareness through a mind-body oriented approach, prioritize your needs and set healthy boundaries.

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from a licensed mental health professional who is a Experiential Therapist.

About Me

I am a licensed New York Experiential Therapist.

I am an EMDR, AEDP, Somatic Experiencing, Parts Work, EFT (couples therapist) and Certified Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

How to Be Open to New Relationship Possibilities After Healing From a Bad Breakup

Opening your heart to new relationship possibilities can be challenging after a bad breakup (see my article: Coping With a Breakup).

After a bad breakup, some people vow to never be in a relationship again. Then there are others who get involved too quickly to avoid feeling the pain of their breakup (see my article: The Many Layers of Grief).

As a psychotherapist in private practice who works with both individual adults and couples, I see both--individuals who rush to get involved too quickly and others who close themselves off to the possibility of getting involved with someone new.

How to Be Open to a New Relationship After a Bad Breakup

Each person has to make their own decision about what's best for them.

For people who want to be open to a new relationship eventually, these tips might be helpful:

• Give Yourself Time to Grieve and Heal: Allow yourself to feel the sadness, anger and disappointment without judging yourself for having these feelings, which are common and normal. Too many people jump into their next relationship to avoid feeling the emotional pain from a recent breakup. This is a mistake. Give yourself the time and space to heal--even if it's taking longer than you might have expected. Along the way practice self compassion and don't judge yourself. Recognize that many people have gone through what you're going through and with time they have healed (see my article: Overcoming Your Fear of Allowing Yourself to Feel Your Sadness).

• Prioritize Self Care: Focus on taking care of yourself by eating nutritious meals, getting enough sleep,  exercising at a pace that's right for you and, in general, focusing on your well-being. Practice self reflection to understand what happened in your last relationship and how you might avoid the same problems in the future (see my article: Allowing Yourself to Feel Your Feelings and Learning From Past Relationships).

• Strengthen Your Emotional Support System: Connect with supportive loved ones. Also consider getting help in therapy from a licensed mental health professional if you're struggling. Avoid isolating (see my article: Why Close Friendships Are Important).

• Develop a Healthy Mindset: Before you get involved in a new relationship, learn to be comfortable with yourself (see my article: What is a Growth Mindset?).

• Try Not to Go to Either Extreme: Try to stay balanced. Don't rush into dating again. Conversely, try not to become so fearful about potential new relationships just because your last relationship didn't work out. Although you might discover that you prefer the solitude of your own company, don't allow fear to foreclose the possibility of being with someone new (see my article: Being Open to New Possibilities).

• Be Intentional When You're Ready: If and when you're ready, look for someone who aligns with your overall values. You don't need to align on every belief, but choose someone with whom you're basically compatible (see my article: The Power of Starting the Day With a Positive Intention).

Conclusion

Getting through the heartbreak of a difficult breakup can leave you feeling sad, disappointed, fearful and anxious. These are common reactions.

After you have grieved, if you prefer to be single and unattached, make that decision based on a healthy mindset and not out of anger, fear or bitterness. You don't have to be in a relationship to be happy. Many people choose to remain single. They have healthy relationships with friends and family and they develop interests and hobbies so life is meaningful.

If you want to be in a relationship after you have grieved your prior breakup, take care of yourself first. Allow yourself to grieve to heal and, after you have healed, think about what you want in your next relationship. Then, learn to be open to new possibilities.

Get Help in Therapy

If you're struggling to grieve or you feel stuck in the grieving process, seek help from a licensed mental health professional.

A skilled psychotherapist can help you through the grieving process so you can heal.

Rather than struggling alone, get help in therapy so you can move through your grief and go on to live a meaningful life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

How to Cope With News Anxiety

Do you feel overwhelmed by the news? (see my article: Living With Uncertainty).

Coping With News Anxiety

If you do, you're not alone. 

I'm hearing about news anxiety from almost everyone I know who is anxious about what they're hearing on the news (see my article:  Self Care During Turbulent Times).

How News Anxiety Can Affect You

News anxiety can affect your mental health in many ways including:

• Feeling frustrated, powerless and helpless
• Having sleep problem (see my article: Tips to Improve Your Sleep)
• Feeling depressed
• Feeling anxious
  
• Anxiety-related health problems
• Over or under-eating
• Other anxiety-related symptoms

How to Cope With News Anxiety

• Make Self Care a Priority: It's important to have self care routines including:
• Meditation
  
• Listening to music
• Doing a breathing exercise

Make Self Care a Priority

• Taking a relaxing bath
• Reading or listening to a book you like
• Enjoying your favorite movie, podcast or TV program
• Engaging in hobbies you enjoy

Staying Physically Active

• Staying physically active
• Eating nutritious meals
• Getting good sleep
• Walking in nature (see my article: Walking in Nature Can Improve Your Mood)

• Choose a Reliable Source of Information: Use good judgment when you're selecting your news source. Choose a news source which is known to be reliable. Don't rely solely on social media because there's a lot of misinformation on social media.

• Limit the Time You Watch or Listen to the News: It's important to be well informed, but that doesn't mean listening or watching the news for hours. In many cases, the same news is being rebroadcast over and over again. That means that you're watching or listening to the same disturbing information multiple times and possibly seeing the same disturbing images. 

• Avoid Doomscrolling: Don't spend a lot of time scrolling negative posts on social media. 

Put Your Phone Away at Night to Get Better Sleep

• Turn Your Phone Off and Put It Away at Night: Have a wind down routine before going to sleep. Scrolling on your phone, texting or reading or listening to the news at night when you need to relax can make you anxious and keep you up. Turn off your phone and put it away so you can get the rest you need.

• Try to Find Positive News Story: While it's true that there's lots of bad news, there are also positive stories. Try to find positive and inspiring stories so you don't feel like everything is doomed.

• Maintain Positive Social Connections: It's easy to feel alone and overwhelmed by the news, so it's important to stay connected with friends and loved ones. If you can't see them in person, give them a call or meet online.  

Maintain Positive Social Connections

• Get Involved to Feel Empowered and Make a Difference: There are many positive advocacy and social justice organizations where you can donate your time and money. Find the ones you like and find out what they're doing to overcome problems. When you get involved, you're can make a difference. When you feel you're making a difference, you're less likely to feel helpless and hopeless. You will also be around other like-minded people so you won't feel alone.

Get Involved to Feel Empowered

• Be Aware That the News Might Be Triggering Unresolved Trauma: If you have unresolved trauma, listening to disturbing news can not only increase your anxiety--it can also trigger unresolved trauma. This can increase feelings of anxiety, hopelessness and helplessness. If this is happening to you, you could benefit from working with a trauma therapist to resolve your trauma so it no longer gets triggered (see my article: How Does Trauma Therapy Work?).

Getting Help in Therapy

News anxiety can have a negative impact on your mental health including triggering unresolved trauma. 

Get Help in Therapy

If unresolved trauma is getting triggered, you could benefit from working with a trauma therapist.

        See my article: How Trauma Therapy Can Help You Overcome Unresolved Trauma

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from a licensed mental health professional who has the training and expertise to help you to overcome unresolved trauma so you can lead a more fulfilling life free of your trauma.

Also see my article: Strategies For Coping With Post-Election Stress

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

As a trauma therapist with over 20 years of expertise, I have helped many clients to overcome trauma (see my article: What is a Trauma Therapist?).

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

 

Strategies For Coping With Post Election Stress

Many people are under a lot of stress during this post election time (see my article: Developing Calmness and Balance During Stressful Times).

Coping with Post Election Stress

Fear and anxiety are running high and many people don't know how to cope with their emotions. 

This is especially true for people who feel the future is very uncertain and there's nothing they can do about it (see my article: Living With Uncertainty).

The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions which can help you to get through this difficult time.

Strategies For Coping With Post Election Fear and Anxiety

• Acknowledge and Accept How You Feel Right Now: The first step to coping with any uncomfortable feelings is to acknowledge and accept that this is how you're feeling right now rather than denying it or trying to push down your feelings. Also, be aware that how you feel right now might not be how you feel over time, especially if you take steps to take care of yourself.

Coping with Post Election Stress: Accept Your Feelings

• Know You're Not Alone: When you're feeling anxious and fearful, you might feel like you're alone--even though you know rationally that there are millions of people who feel the same way. But you're not alone. (see my article: Steps to Overcome Loneliness).

• Seek Connection With Like-Minded People: Instead of isolating, seek connection with others who have similar feelings. There is comfort in knowing you're not alone with your anxiety and fear. Talking with others who feel as you do can help, especially if your conversations lead to new ways of coping and taking action for yourself and others.

Coping With Post Election Stress: Seek Connection

• Take Care of Yourself: Eating nutritious meals, getting good sleep, exercising at a level that's right for you and taking care of your mental health are all important, especially when you're under stress (see my article: Self Care Is Not Selfish).

• Take Part in Enjoyable Activities: Whether you enjoy walks in the park, getting together with friends and family or engaging in activities that uplift you, make the time for these activities.

Coping With Post Election Stress: Enjoy Activities

• Take Breaks From the News: It's important to be well informed, but watching hours and hours of broadcast news can make you feel even more anxious, so taking breaks from the news is important.

Coping With Post Election Stress: Volunteer

• Volunteer With Advocacy Groups: Volunteering is a way to feel less isolated. Volunteering can also help to reduce your feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and apathy. There are plenty of groups, including climate change groups, groups to preserve democracy, women's rights groups, LGBTQ groups and other advocacy groups that can use your help and help you to feel like you're making a difference (see my article: Overcoming Loneliness and Isolation).

Coping With Post Election Stress: Seek Help From a Psychotherapist

• Get Help From a Licensed Mental Health Professional: If you feel you're struggling with fear, anxiety or depression and self help strategies aren't helping you, seek help from a licensed mental health professional. A skilled psychotherapist can provide you with the tools and strategies you need to achieve calm and balance in your life (see my article: Common Myths About Psychotherapy: Going to Therapy Means You're "Weak").

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

With over 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist, I have helped many clients to overcome fear, anxiety and unresolved trauma (see my article: What is a Trauma Therapist?)

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email.