The coronavirus pandemic has now prolonged for a long time, and so is our new normalcy. We all are exhausted with postponing our plans and functions and meetings — and WedNicely knows how anxious you might feel about it. With the second wave of virus spiking cases, it is hard to cope up with negative news all around, which eventually affects our mental health. The grand planning for weddings and excitement has reduced to finger-count attendance and remote cheer ups. Nevertheless, one thing that is certain to happen is your wedding!
But, here’s the catch. How do you manage your anxieties and stress less in these unprecedented times? How do you deal with uncertainties of events and situations? What to do when you are in your extreme lows?
We, though, do not have any magical wand to spell and cast off all that is in your head. But, we can surely help you with some good and effective methods to breathe in positivity and breathe out negativity. So, now let’s hop on to this step-by-step guide so you enjoy every moment, having the best day of your life.
1. It’s Okay to be not Okay
Not feeling like getting out of bed due to a postponed wedding or engagement date? No worries! Just be there in your bed. We know this pandemic is affecting everybody’s mental health, and would-be couples are no exception for that. But, perhaps your wedding day is postponed for a reason you would only know in a parallel world! So, if you are worried about date recalibration, guest lists alterations, functions delaying — it is all okay. Be with that feeling mindfully. Just let it pass through your body and your mind. Breathe in all the positivity ahead and breathe out all the negativity behind. Once you are ‘Okay’ enough to get out of bed you’ll come up with great energy to re-plan things. Just let your mind accept what it is, and what can be done.
2. Get your muscles moving
It is proven by Harvard University that 12 to 15 minutes of daily exercise twice a day can help reduce a significant amount of stress. Pertaining to it, the stress and anxiety developed by the current scenarios will surely be curbed with such a small investment in your body. And it is not at all necessary that you vigorously put a workload on your muscles. Even a short distance walk or jog can have great benefits. Or more like, aerobics at home can be a great fit to get your mental status fit.
Apart from this, moving your muscles does not mean only moving visible and tangible body parts. But, it also means to move the parts inside your body in a particular fashion. One such exercise is breathing. It helps you anchor your brain and body into synchronization with just sitting and relaxing at any place. Some of the effective breathing exercises to reduce stress are deep breathing, belly breathing, and 4-7-8 breathing.
3. Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation
Meditation is an offspring of a bigger concept called Mindfulness. Mindfulness is a way of life, to be present in the moment of now. In fact, mindfulness and meditation do not mean to compel yourself to be calm. But, it is a concept to bring attention and anchor to what is happening inside out. Practicing mindfulness and meditation will not only bring you the peace you seek but a pearl of greater wisdom to witness all your upsetting emotions and inflected attention of mind, body, and heart. Even 10 minutes of shut-your-eyes and a dive-in session can make your day fulfilled with immense happiness. You see, practicing meditation and mindfulness is not pushing yourself to think about something. Rather, your mind and consciousness automatically shift your focus to what you are wanting and seek solutions.
So, when you feel troubling storms and seas inside due to postponement of D-day, events, or not having delightful sessions; just sit with yourself for a few minutes shutting your eyes. For assistance to your session, you can use apps like Headspace or Calm or free content on YouTube.
4. Untether your worries
Better said than done, worrying can be a significant reason for anxieties. Worrying could be anything like people on social platforms waiting for the date, realigning the schedules of every event, or even stability of your mind in wedding conversations. It is better to not have wedding conversations for some days to bury your worry. Be connected and talk with your close ones regarding how you feel. But, make sure the person you are letting yourself out is trustworthy and does not contemplate problems. Talk with a person like your would-be who will not judge you for whatever is in your head when you speak out clearly. This will help you tether to good things, untethering from the worries that are eating you up.
5. Write all that is bothering you
We believe writing all that you’re worried about drains off everything from a gnarled mind to a smooth paper. And writing down your worries for the wedding in these Covid-19 times will definitely curb your anxieties. Keep a journal to address all those things that you feel are likely to happen, and all those you don’t want. Being specific to things you like to have and that you don’t, will make you segregate finely between the two. This helps to consider the problems you should focus on and the problems you can discard for a while.
Journaling is like talking to your subconscious and speaking out of your hands, with no hurdles in between. So, you write what you feel, and then you can observe what is right for you at the moment.
6. Engage in self-care
Self-care holds a major place in managing covid-19 wedding anxiety with the help of some practices. Look out for the essentials you will need for a particular kind of activity you need to practice. Activities, like basking in the sun, having a bubble bath, cleansing & glowing your skin, using a face pack, reading a good book, or listening to soothing music, can raise your self-confidence, thus leading to self-care.
7. Disengage with social media
Social media is a boon as well as a bane in this covid-19 pandemic. Not to mention that it has definitely brought people closer to each other through virtual mediums, however, it does affect our mental well-being to a greater extent. People asking for wedding dates, posting pictures, and contemplating expectations can lead to negativity, FOMO, or even dissatisfaction. Therefore, it is necessary to cut yourself off from social media platforms for a while. You can deactivate your accounts or delete the applications temporarily to take a vow not to use them for a time period. And don’t think that you are missing something, because you are not. You are just missing yourself, and you need to reconnect with yourself.
8. Focus on what’s important
There are so many things withering us in this Covid-19 pandemic. And it is difficult to bring our focus to one thing. Yet, before getting married, it is important to focus on things that are more important for future prospects: love, affection, and entanglement with your other half. By anchoring your focus to enjoy every moment with your spouse, you need to keep aside everything that revolves around wedding and planning. Just be with your would-be; playing games, going on dates if possible, having popcorn with a movie, or any other thing that blooms your love. Doing all these things will help you cherish the beautiful moments and diminish anything that makes you worry.
9. Recollecting: Get away with yourself
During your wedding, you are always surrounded by people physically, virtually as well as emotionally. And sometimes it is overwhelming to receive anything extensively. And due to this you lose a lot of energy in engaging with everyone. To recollect this lost energy, you need to take yourself on a solo ride or a trip to connect with yourself. Just make your family and better half understand why you need it, and then pack your bag and go on an adventure with yourself. This will make you realign and recollect all that energy that was disposed of to others. However, if you don’t feel like getting out in these Covid-19 times, then take a day off from all the responsibilities, chores and work to relax and do nothing, and we mean nothing. It will definitely help you come back with an elated version of yourself.
