On today’s episode of Uniquely Brilliant, Diana Bader and Becky Berry discuss the March Slump. 

Diana begins this episode by reminding us that two years ago at this time the whole world was shut down because of COVID, and our feeling that we’re in a slump could be a trauma response.

The pandemic and the response to it are different now, but not completely different. Masks, boosters, quarantines - change constantly.

Becky and Diana point out that everyone has a different comfort level with how to approach the world today. While Covid is still a big threat, Diana points out that there are equal threats to those who are immunocompromised that are rarely mentioned. 

Becky points out that because of the strangeness of our last two Marchs plus  now, it’s easy to lose our sense of agency. We can forget that we can impact our own lives by the choices that we make. 

The unpredictability of the weather in March adds to the slump. The temperatures and weather are all over the place: it can be 80 degrees one day and snow the next day. 

Diana and Becky share their strategies for maintaining their equilibrium. The overarching strategy is to go with the flow of the weather. Diana takes advantage of sunny weather by pursuing outdoor activities. When it’s cold, she stays inside and cooks. 

They also touch on the power of doing activities that soothe you. They go deeper into the power of soothing in Episode 146. 

Full link to 146:
https://uniquelybrilliant.libsyn.com/episode-146-soothe-yourself-by-grounding

We can empower ourselves by:

• Picking our battles by choosing what we think about and focus on
• Looking our emotions in the face and accepting them and choosing whether to surrender to the current circumstance or rise above them
• Staying in the moment
• Distracting ourselves with something that makes us feel lighter - listening to music, watching tv, reading, or cooking
• Changing scenery - going outside, taking a drive, taking a walk

When we purposefully choose what we focus on, we feel a greater sense of agency.

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