Finding happiness in times of crisis
Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2024 10:36 am
How can we face the current challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to adapt our life plans, our ideas of happiness and success? Psychologist and coach Ana de Diego Lagüera, professor of the Master's Degree in Personal Coaching and Organizational Leadership , promoted by FUNIBER, gives us some clues.
Unexpected events, which take us out of our comfort zone, lead us to question what really matters and what we do that is valuable. During the current pandemic, many people will be able to rethink personal projects.
We interviewed psychologist Ana de Diego Lagüera, professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the European University of the Atlantic , and certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) , to analyze this issue.
Ana de Diego Lagüera, professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, European University of the Atlantic
Ana de Diego Lagüera, coach and professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, European University of the Atlantic
Will a time of crisis, like the one we are experiencing, be the right situation to make decisions that change our professional career or life projects?
A crisis can lead to an opportunity in your personal and/or professional life. Throughout our lives we go through several crises, not always due to external factors like the one affecting us now. We have two options: complain about what is happening to us, or change what is in our hands and come out stronger.
In this situation we are living, the positive thing is that gambling data philippine we have time to stop and reflect. Try to formulate or reformulate our purpose and do what we can to go in the direction we have set for ourselves. It is in moments of pause that we must look within ourselves for the answers.
Could this need for change be a personal response to the complex emotions felt during a crisis?
It is clear that in times of crisis, emotions are more intense or that is how we perceive them. Given the uncertainty of the current moment, the emotion that is most detected is fear. Of the future, of losing one's job, of leaving home, of getting sick... Being aware of the emotion is the first step to being able to manage it. Being afraid is normal, but if it blocks us and prevents us from doing things, that is what we must detect and change.
How can we take advantage of confinement as an opportunity for personal growth?
It is good to find moments of tranquility and reflect on what is important to us and to what extent we are doing it. A good method is to write down what we think or feel and let it rest, to reread it a few hours or a few days later. Rather than turning it over in our heads, it is better to write it down and re-read it to reflect on what we have written. In this way, it will be easier for us to discern what is important and plan actions to improve those areas where I want to invest my efforts.
As with any difficult and unexpected situation, what we do will be our personal decision to remain stuck in the complaint or to look for the opportunity that it brings.
How can crisis situations change our perception of happiness?
A crisis situation can change our perception of what happiness means to each of us on a personal level. Appreciating small things that we cannot do now, such as going for a walk or hugging our loved ones, can help us see more clearly what is important to us and what we will do about it when this is all over.
Perhaps we can realize that having many things is not more important than those small, simple pleasures of every day that, many times, do not require financial outlay but rather sensory or emotional enjoyment.
Is emotional education, which has grown a lot in the last ten years, now more important given the need to know how to manage emotions?
Without a doubt. The first step to managing emotions is to know and detect them. If one day we feel sad, it is normal and we should let it be so. But we cannot abandon ourselves to it. It is about looking for and doing those activities that make me feel happier.
The same goes for fear. It is normal to feel fear now, but we should not let it take over us cognitively and emotionally.
However, the health recommendations published by WHO and the media during COVID-19 almost all refer to physical health care. But why are there few recommendations on mental health care?
I believe that during this crisis, there has been a lot of progress in recommendations regarding mental health. There has been a lot of information on the subject and it is true that recommendations have been added for the care of our emotional management and our mental health in general. For example, doing things that help us enjoy and focus on the positive, or dedicating a few minutes a day to meditate or breathe consciously. There is still work to be done, but I believe that we have made some progress because we realize the need to integrate physical and mental health.
Unexpected events, which take us out of our comfort zone, lead us to question what really matters and what we do that is valuable. During the current pandemic, many people will be able to rethink personal projects.
We interviewed psychologist Ana de Diego Lagüera, professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the European University of the Atlantic , and certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) , to analyze this issue.
Ana de Diego Lagüera, professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, European University of the Atlantic
Ana de Diego Lagüera, coach and professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, European University of the Atlantic
Will a time of crisis, like the one we are experiencing, be the right situation to make decisions that change our professional career or life projects?
A crisis can lead to an opportunity in your personal and/or professional life. Throughout our lives we go through several crises, not always due to external factors like the one affecting us now. We have two options: complain about what is happening to us, or change what is in our hands and come out stronger.
In this situation we are living, the positive thing is that gambling data philippine we have time to stop and reflect. Try to formulate or reformulate our purpose and do what we can to go in the direction we have set for ourselves. It is in moments of pause that we must look within ourselves for the answers.
Could this need for change be a personal response to the complex emotions felt during a crisis?
It is clear that in times of crisis, emotions are more intense or that is how we perceive them. Given the uncertainty of the current moment, the emotion that is most detected is fear. Of the future, of losing one's job, of leaving home, of getting sick... Being aware of the emotion is the first step to being able to manage it. Being afraid is normal, but if it blocks us and prevents us from doing things, that is what we must detect and change.
How can we take advantage of confinement as an opportunity for personal growth?
It is good to find moments of tranquility and reflect on what is important to us and to what extent we are doing it. A good method is to write down what we think or feel and let it rest, to reread it a few hours or a few days later. Rather than turning it over in our heads, it is better to write it down and re-read it to reflect on what we have written. In this way, it will be easier for us to discern what is important and plan actions to improve those areas where I want to invest my efforts.
As with any difficult and unexpected situation, what we do will be our personal decision to remain stuck in the complaint or to look for the opportunity that it brings.
How can crisis situations change our perception of happiness?
A crisis situation can change our perception of what happiness means to each of us on a personal level. Appreciating small things that we cannot do now, such as going for a walk or hugging our loved ones, can help us see more clearly what is important to us and what we will do about it when this is all over.
Perhaps we can realize that having many things is not more important than those small, simple pleasures of every day that, many times, do not require financial outlay but rather sensory or emotional enjoyment.
Is emotional education, which has grown a lot in the last ten years, now more important given the need to know how to manage emotions?
Without a doubt. The first step to managing emotions is to know and detect them. If one day we feel sad, it is normal and we should let it be so. But we cannot abandon ourselves to it. It is about looking for and doing those activities that make me feel happier.
The same goes for fear. It is normal to feel fear now, but we should not let it take over us cognitively and emotionally.
However, the health recommendations published by WHO and the media during COVID-19 almost all refer to physical health care. But why are there few recommendations on mental health care?
I believe that during this crisis, there has been a lot of progress in recommendations regarding mental health. There has been a lot of information on the subject and it is true that recommendations have been added for the care of our emotional management and our mental health in general. For example, doing things that help us enjoy and focus on the positive, or dedicating a few minutes a day to meditate or breathe consciously. There is still work to be done, but I believe that we have made some progress because we realize the need to integrate physical and mental health.