by Sarah Cramoysan | March, 2021 | Covid19, Sarah Cramoysan
Lockdown Insomnia One of the side effects of this lockdown for me, seems to be a type of insomnia. I have no problem going to sleep, but often wake up about four hours later and have an hour or two of wakefulness, before eventually drifting back into a sound sleep. In those wee hours, worries arise and chase round my head, but I have learnt over time that they will often seem much smaller in the morning. So I try not to solve big problems in the middle of the night, but instead turn my mind to smaller and more interesting ones to mull over. Yesterday I was reminded that it was time to submit another blog post, so I found myself lying awake at 3am wondering what I could write about, that might actually be useful or helpful to read as the current lockdown drags on. Silver Linings I have written before about using humour and social connection to get through these tough times. It would be very tempting to write another article about staying positive or seeing the bright side and although I’m a great believer in the power of looking for the silver linings in the clouds, there are days when it has been cloudy for so long that we’re all just tired out. Then it occurred to me that’s what I should write about. It’s OK to not be OK. We can embrace the dark side too. The Dark Side Positive psychology is not about being happy all the time. It’s also about being a whole person who will have dark days too. It’s not...
by Lisa Jones | September, 2020 | Covid19, Lisa Jones
Our world has changed significantly over the last few months. This post looks at emotions from the lens of social reality. At a time when everything feels as though it is out of control, now is the time to take stock and reflect on what we can control. We may find ourselves worrying much more than we have done before, struggle with life’s meaning, and feel pressure in our current circumstances. Although we cannot change the circumstances, we can change how we interpret it and react to it. Social reality What is social reality? Philosophers often debate this question and different people have different perspectives. My perspective is that of a constructionist. By taking this perspective I define social reality as something that at least in part, I construct from my own conceptual system. That is, my judgements on what I see, what I experience, what I do is based on what I think is the ‘truth’. My truth is created from my experiences, so although there are similarities and overlapping beliefs, mine is different to yours because we have not had the same experience in life. When I see a crowd of happy revellers you might see an aggressive mob of rascals. Meaning-making Our social reality is formed from the meaning me make in what we experience each moment. We predict what the likely meaning is based on what we have experienced previously. So if my boss is always having a go about my work, I will see in my boss’ face that admonishing look, hear the tone and interpret the words in a less than positive way....
by Sarah Cramoysan | August, 2020 | Covid19, Sarah Cramoysan
Why we need to remember what lockdown taught us about the importance of social connections Evidence There is plenty of evidence in positive psychology of the benefits of social connection. Having strong social ties makes us healthier, happier, more resilient and can even make us live longer. Most people would agree with that friends and family are more important than money and success, but in a busy world it is easy to forget this fact. Heaven or Hell When lockdown happened it affected us all in different ways. Some people had to self-isolate alone, some were furloughed and enjoyed the benefits of having more time to spend with their families, parents working at home juggled work and home-schooling and key workers struggled with stressful jobs and trying to keep their families safe. Some people enjoyed the change of circumstance and having time to slow down, others were bored rigid and just wanted to get back to normal, or found new ways to busy themselves, making scrubs or masks or shopping for others. Common Ground What lockdown initially gave to us all, was a shared sense of humanity and the fact that we were all in this together, whatever part we could play. Facing a common threat brought us together and we developed new ways of connecting socially to fill the gap left by the need for social distancing. We talked to our neighbours every Thursday when we clapped for the NHS, we learnt how to use Zoom, we looked out for our neighbours and when we saw someone we knew whilst out exercising, we stopped and took time to...
by Sarah Monk | June, 2020 | Covid19, Sarah Monk
The world grew quiet, Streets were empty, The silence, eerie, not serene. People were afraid, Stalked by an invisible foe, Noise signalling threat. In isolation humanity retreated, An apocalyptic stillness. But the earth endured, The sun turned, While birdsong amplified, And skies grew clear, The oceans teemed with life. And some people judged and blamed, But there was also kindness, And courage in everyday acts, Undervalued ordinary became heroic. In home bubbles we tried, To work and learn and exercise, To be safe. But the people were sad, The light in their hearts dimmed, Unnourished by connection, Lacking the warmth of hugs. No true substitute in technology. And some were lost, And some were found. While we struggled to understand, How to reimagine normal. That we might bring hope, For a world changed, The possibility of rebirth, Children play together again, Community re-evaluated. Humanity remembers what is true, False gods denied, Real value found anew. Sarah Monk ⓒ...
