Feeling stressed, frustrated and overwhelmed with worry and anxieties? Erin Lee, Founder of Mindful Moments and a Mindfulness Coach, shares some advice and strategies that will help you achieve mental wellness and wellbeing even in the toughest moments. Erin will be one of the speakers at the SAFRA Engagement Forum 2021: Living in an Endemic Singapore. Don’t forget to log on to get more helpful information and advice.
Q: What are your observations of how the pandemic is affecting people?
Erin: The road to recovery is a long and evolving one, and in the face of persistent virus strains and the many unknowns ahead, many of us are indeed struggling and trying to embrace the new norms of living.
Q: What do you think has contributed to these feelings of anxiety and frustration?
Erin: I observe that we are feeling trapped and isolated from not being able to socialise and travel like before, and there is a general sense of feeling stuck.
Working from home has somehow encouraged back-to-back meetings and the further blurring of boundaries between work and personal life. Sharing a living space with family members throughout the day has also invited much frustration and conflict as we do our best to accommodate one another. Uncertainties about the future and constant news about infection numbers have also invited feelings of worry and anxiety.
Q: Mentally, how can Singaporeans prepare themselves for unforeseen and unexpected changes, especially with the present endemic situation?
Erin: Developing mental resilience and finding emotional balance seem to be crucial in preparing ourselves for the changes ahead. While most external conditions are not within our control, it is important to recognise that we do have agency over our own state of mind, and we can learn to manage and regulate ourselves.
Q: How can mindfulness help?
Erin: From the lens of mindfulness, this requires each of us to practise self-awareness and self-observation, so that we understand first-hand how certain stressors are affecting us, and how we could change our relationship with these stressors, to respond differently and more wisely.
Q: What other strategies can we adopt to help us gain better mental and physical wellness?
Erin: We also need to make intentional efforts to create conditions for living more healthily, for example, exploring how we could adjust our way of life so that we achieve greater work-life balance, and have sufficient time for rest and more nourishing activities. It is essential to approach wellbeing holistically, and consider what shifts we could make to take care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and even spiritually.
The SAFRA Engagement Forum is a Facebook Live Event which will focus on Financial Sustainability, Mental Wellness and Food Sustainability.
This free event happens on:
Date: Thursday, 7 October 2021
Time: 8pm – 9.30pm
Log on to www.facebook.com/SAFRAsg to view it LIVE
For more info on the forum, go to www.safra.sg/whats-on/engagementforum. If you have any questions for our speakers or other queries, please email sync@safra.sg
