By MICHELLE HARKEY-WILDE
Los Alamos

Staying at home and living in our uncertain times can strain coping skills and relationships.

When stress increases dramatically or emotions run high, people have a tendency to return to older, less effective ways of coping with difficulty. Often these responses stem from the fight-flight-freeze system.

When our amygdala senses danger in the environment it immediately seeks to fight the danger or run away. (Freeze can happen if these two are not available.) In our current stay-at-home circumstances, running away is not so readily available. We can’t just go to the mall or the beach or to a friend’s house to escape tensions. We might not currently be able to escape to work or school either.

Like other animals, when flight is blocked, fight can come out with devastating results. Sometimes the fight instinct shows up in verbal sparring or yelling. Other times it shows up in physical or sexual assault. If you are experiencing domestic violence, please call 1-800-799-SAFE to receive help or contact the local authorities.

Learning to regulate self even in the face of very uncertain and difficult times is key to mitigating the fallout of COVID-19 and social distancing. The first thing is learning to recognize the increased possibility for struggle and put practices in place to mitigate the early troubles.

Yoga, breathing exercises, and Tension & Trauma Release Exercises (TRE)  (https://traumaprevention.com/) are all ways to do this, along with many more.

Each spring and fall for the past couple of years I have been offering a free introductory session of TRE. This year I will do it online. Please contact me if you would like to learn this very valuable skill in the month of April from the comfort of your own home.

Physical survival and economic recovery are paramount, especially in the short-term. Emotional and relational concerns are in at least third place importance (in my estimation) for local, regional and national recovery.

Fortunately, we can alter the course of emotional and relational concerns even as they are building. This can happen through many avenues, including counseling.

If you would like to learn more about how to address these emotional and relational mine fields, please just stay tuned to the Los Alamos Daily Post and we’ll cover some of the key points.

Thanks, and stay physically and emotionally healthy!

Michelle Harkey-Wilde is a Body-Connection Coach, licensed mental health counselor, massage therapist and integrative wellness specialist. This column is for educational purposes only and does not create a client-practitioner relationship. You are responsible to exercise caution in implementing any ideas contained herein and accept responsibility for your actions. Consult with your physical and mental health practitioners before implementing any new practice.