What will you do if the only place to keep yourself safe from the virus is also the same place that makes you feel bothered and uneasy this quarantine period? The haven once you called a happy place is not a home anymore.

I know many of you are dealing with the same situation. It’s not only the virus that affects our emotional and mental health the most, but it’s also the fights and misunderstandings inside our doors.

With everyone who is into this kind of setup, I feel you. I know the difference between living in a house and in a home. The struggle to keep at ease is real!

These are fights within the four corners of our so-called safest place. It has been 59 days and the burden is not good to our emotional state but here I am, standing still.

I’m helping myself to not be consumed by these quarrels aside from the pandemic anxiety which makes us agitated. Here are some steps I follow from reliable psychologists to calm myself during fights:

TAKE A DEEP BREATH

As a simple step as it may seem, this one is truly helpful. It makes us think thoroughly within the situation, whenever we take a deep breath, it halts us to do things that we may regret on the latter.

DISTRACT YOURSELF

This is hard but you need to do it. Look for things that might help you to somehow forget the things that bother your mind from the fights you are currently experiencing.

Go back to the hobbies you wanted to do for so long. This is a simple way to divert your focus on the current situation to avoid endless toxic interactions.

TRY ‘5-4-3-2-1 TECHNIQUE’

If you’re not familiar with this one, you should try and see the results for yourself. Many are still using this popular coping exercise ‘cause it may find them helpful.

According to the Copingskillsforkids.com, this is a type of technique that will take you through your five senses to help remind you of the present. This is a calming technique that can help you get through tough or stressful situations.

Take a deep breath and begin.

5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. It could be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, anything in your surroundings.

4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. It could be your hair, a pillow, or the ground under your feet. 

3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. This could be any external sound. If you can hear your belly rumbling that counts! Focus on things you can hear outside of your body.

2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. Maybe you are in your office and smell a pencil, or maybe you are in your bedroom and smell a pillow. If you need to take a brief walk to find a scent you could smell soap in your bathroom, or nature outside.

1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste. What does the inside of your mouth taste like—gum, coffee, or the sandwich from lunch?

I can’t really tell how hard your situations right now. No amount of words can tantamount the pain and stress you are holding from the underlying issues inside your homes.

Hey buddy, hang in there!