The Art and Science of Maintaining Our Well-Being

It is extremely unlikely that there might be anyone who does not feel “Enough already!” when it comes to this Covid-19 Pandemic.  Regardless of the side on which you stand on the imposed protocols & restrictions, we can all safely say “No more!”  Many will also say that there are very few who will remain unscathed by the toll these past 20 months or so will have taken on our socio-emotional, and mental well-being. Whether it be school-aged children, adolescents, young-adults, middle- or older aged people, human beings are hard-wired to socialize.

What happens then when the social ties that bind become somewh

at tenuous as they recently have?

What we have seen as a result is nothing short of a parallel pandemic of pessimism.  Although with the statistics not readily at my disposal, I think we can all say we feel that we are seeing, increases in violent crime, growing numbers of people with substance abuse and addiction issues, raising cases of domestic violence, and a further polarization and widening gap between sides on matters of public healthcare, government policy, and education.

This pervasive negativity has added to a phenomenon known as “Catastrophizing,” a term coined a little more than 10 years ago by Psychologist Albert Ellis.  Catastrophizing can be explained or defined as an irrational amplification of adverse events or circumstances. In other words, making a mountain out of a molehill, or blowing something way out of proportion. Examples might include feeling incredibly humiliated/embarrassed after simply fumbling your words in a presentation – leading to complete withdrawal from social interaction or being unsuccessful in a job interview leading to the refusal to apply for others.

As you can imagine, these cognitive distortions are closely linked to anxiety/stress. In previous Self-Reg articles, I discussed how we are all subject to varying degrees of tension and energy. For example, this model of the Thayer Matrix depicts how it is that where we find ourselves in relation to our stress and energy levels might impact our response to an anxiety inducing event.

Now, I am NOT trying to provide an “everything is going to be o.k.” pep talk… but what I am saying is that knowing yourself, your tension and energy levels will help you recognize when you are Catastrophizing.  The science is there.  The art is what you do with that scientific knowledge.