(Narda Singh/ CBC News) — As a mental health professional, I’ve been asked to offer some mental health tips that may be helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected all of us.
Apparently my mental health tips come from my dog Cedar, an eight-month-old Pomeranian-husky mix. You see, Cedar’s paw on my arm reminds me to pause, slow down and be aware. Building this concept of awareness invites us to be more compassionate toward ourselves and others. It also allows us to take things day by day and moment by moment.
We can trust that everything that happens on the surface of our lives is temporary, and that beneath all of the events currently happening, we can find refuge in ourselves and each other. Often we move through the day in a fairly distracted state that some call “automatic pilot.” But the idea is this: we can actually manage stresses more effectively if we’re present; we have more options for wise decisions when we respond, rather than react. (…)