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Week 2 [02-08.11] The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong

There have been a lot of things going on lately that have a very strong impact on our well-being. A lot of people feel depressed and can't cope with it. In this recording Amy Morin talks about her difficult experiences and how to deal with them. It shows how to be mentally strong, despite many adversities. I encourage you to watch it, you will surely find something for yourself!


1. How do you deal with recent events? 

2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?

3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?

Comments

I had to create a completely new routine for pandemic, but surprisingly it wasn't that bad. The fundamentals of my mental stability is doing sports and outdoor activities. I had to change it to something more local and i discovered Qigong. It is a set of exercises strongly connected to Kung Fu, but concentrated rather on stretching, breathing and moving slowly then punching and kicking (i do that too). Long time ago i was trying to get into yoga, but fighting for every breath is not how you supposed to do it. This training is now my best form of activity when i cant go out. I do it on balcony where my roommate have her flowers, so it gives me real zen-garden experience.

I dont think that increasing your mental strength is something that you should do only by yourself. My friends support me and i do my best to support them back. Long serious conversations about feelings with intend to understand each other is in my opinion at least substitute of meeting with therapist. Yet professional help will always be more comprehensive. Feeling that friend will grab you if you fall can give you courage to start something and concentrate on goal. Benefits of true friendship are countless.

My close friend once called me "the balancer". He explained it to me: "When people are too positive about unlikely things you will explain them that it's wishful thinking. When they lost all hope, you will show them possible path." I find it unnecessarily dramatic, but somewhat true. Since then i saw many examples of that in my behaviour that will confirm this theory. I can't say that im positive or negative person. I would love to say that im realist.
s16427 said…
Pandemic and following lockdown creates a whole new world of obstacles and problems that pretty much didn't exist before. For example, there is a serious issue with the lack of sport and fitness. Suddenly lots of people are deprived of basic walk-to-work movement, which is crucial for those who don't work out. For example, usually in the morning, I was walking to the tram, then to the office, then for lunch, back to the office, and a long walk home. Now, I'm making all 4 steps to the bathroom, 4 more to the kitchen for coffee, and 5 more to get to my home office. Then for the next 4-7 hours, I'm sitting without almost any movement. It sounds terrible and pretty much is. I had to set a strict regime, to work out 5 days a week, and to eat more healthily than I used to. I'm lucky enough to have cool flatmates so we often play board games, console games and have a generally good time. I think the worst thing about the whole is loneliness. A while back, during the first lockdown, my flatmates went to their homes and the flat was empty. I got so lonely that I adopted a stray cat just to keep myself sane. About positive/negative attitude, I consider myself an ultimate positive person. I live, trying to be as happy as possible. I think that we usually worry about things that aren't worry-worthy :).
Leya Chechyk said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leya Chechyk said…
Honestly, I don’t deal with them. I have completely lost my energy and strength to cope with anything at all. Every day feels like a chaotic trembling platform, which can crash any second. It is not about the pandemic; it is about a constant parade of negative events which influence my life directly and I have no power to change it.

A year ago, when something irreparable was going to happen, it was possible to predict and to get prepared. Two days ago, my country closed the boarders without a warning and forbad me and other students to come home. I am a citizen of the Republic of Belarus and I am unwanted in my country.

From my observations, the biggest problem is that everyone around feel the same way as me. Frustrated, tired, angry, irritated, stressed. Coping mechanisms are running out. The only solution I see is just waiting and keeping on. I want to believe that around Christmas or New Year miracle is going to happen.

I consider myself rather a negative person now. Nevertheless, my strong wish to live normal makes me find something positive in my daily routine. If I didn’t try that, I would have no power to function every day.
Bui Ky Anh said…
To be honest the pandemic thing and a lockdown started when I was very mentally tired about everything what was going on in my life. When we were not allowed to leave home actually I got some rest I needed so much. I did not complain about that fact and got a lot of time to focus on myself. I am a person who likes to be orginised with everyday life. I also like to be productive in many areas so I kept studying, practising and doing the things that have to be done. I beleive that we never stop developing so there is always something that can be improved. Right now my prioritised habit to change is my sleeping habit. I go to bed very late 3/4 am which results in waking up at 1 pm. Because of that I skip breakfast so I live with 1 meal less during the day and also it has a huge impact on my productivity. My aim is to set myself to wake up at 6 am. Beside that I consider myself as a positive person with good mindset and attitude.
FilipJatelnicki said…
1. How do you deal with recent events?
Actually, I must say that there are some advantages in everyday life in pandemic times. I don't waste time on commuting, we are able to watch recordings of lectures which is definitely beneficial, I had to move in back to my parents' house, which I didn't think that I would enjoy as much.

The only thing that bothers me is lack of cultural events and meeting with friends.


2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?
I've realised that when I feel anxious or stressed I shouldn't try to calm my self down but rather to use this energy or transfer it into some kind of "anger", I'd say - motivation, will to fight (?).


3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?
I think that I'm positive person. I do enjoy life and see the purpose of it which helps. Relationships are crucial and I probably wouldn't be positive about life if I didn't have them.
Palina H said…
1. It's a good question that's hard for me to answer. Some days I'm quite good at distancing myself from everything negative, the other days it's all the way around and the only thing I'm doing is checking and reading all the news.

2. For me it's resting when I need to and spending time with friends. We either try to distract each other from negative thoughts or share how we feeling and let each other know that we all have some rough times now and that's ok.

3. I believe I'm more of a positive person. No matter what kind of horrible things is happening I always believe that the good is about to come and the good will be much bigger and brighter than the negative.
1. How do you deal with recent events?
I think quite good. In my opinion first lockdown was better because even when you were at home you could go to balcony or tarrase and be around of green plants and sunlight. This time we will have gloomy weather which can be worst to mental strength. Anyway i always try to find some positives. In march i started to take cold showers and now few days ago first in my life i started invest on stock which gives me new knowledge, experience, emotions etc... :)

2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?
As i mentioned i started to take cold showers which have a lot of adventages and also in some point it can increase mental strength. I try to regulary workout at home and from time to time i jog at morning. I think sport is one of the most important thing to increase your mental strength.

3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?
In Poland most of people are negative even if they don't want to be. If you will think about it everywhere you can find a person which will complain for anything like job e.g. too hard/too boring, weather e.g. too cold/too hot, car too expensive/too slow etc. I am trying to dont be one of this kind of person and i think i am quite positive in most situations.
Well, probably the pandemic was the trigger for my depression, so I wasn't handling it very well for a long time. I was working on my diploma project when it all started, so I tried to run away from my anxieties and bad thoughts by work. I was overworked and exhausted for a few months. The situation got me into a lot of crying, panic attacks, etc. After my BA graduation I realised I might be depressed and started seeking help. I went to a doctor, I’ve started to think about myself and my mental health more. I’ve adapted to the stress and anxiety caused by pandemic, for ex. I’ve started crocheting (I did that before, but occasionally, now I’m doing that a lot, as a stress relief), decided to get more into my hobbies I abandoned. I created my own bullet journal from an old sketchbook, so that I could create something positive and useful in my free time. So yeah, I wasn’t handling it all very well, but now I’m in a much better place than I was 6-7 months ago.

Because of battling depression, I had to discover some ways to calm my mind and to increase my mental strength. Some of them are those hobbies I talked about above. I also realised, how important it is to give yourself breaks from daily routine. Long walks around my neighbourhood, 30 minute naps in the afternoon, days off work and duties to just stay in bed and drink hot tea and watch Netflix or read a book. I’ve realised that sometimes, when you’re not feeling like it, you don’t have to give 100% out of yourself. Sometimes you have to rest, to keep in mind you’re just human. You’re not a machine. Listening to yourself and your body is really important, and nothing is more important that your health and well-being.

I’d say I’m a positive person, but with a really low self-esteem and self-confidence. Sometimes I’m very sceptical and critical about myself and my work, I’m feeling like I’m a bad person or just not good enough. In times like that I’m trying to remember all the times somebody told me that they’re proud of me or when I made someone happier. I think it’s crucial to not only be positive to others, but also to be positive to yourself. There’s a saying, that if you’re not going to love yourself, you’ll never love others or be loved. And I think it’s true – if you won’t be nice to yourself, you’ll make others miserable.
Pandemic of COVID-19 has ruined my entire life. I'm not able to meet my friends from abroad because their's governments closed borders or they are afraid of the virus. My productivity has almost halved so doing tasks for Academy and work are not as effective as used to before. But I started doing exercises, changed my eating habits. I found a solution to hang out with my friends which is FaceTime or Skype. It gives us kind a happiness to see, at least in front of the camera, each other.
To increase my mental strengh, I'm trying to tolerat discomfort. For instance, when I experience anxiety that prevents me from trying finish my task, I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone and chellenge myself, doing more. Tolerating uncomfortable emotions took me some practice, but it became easier as my confidence had grown.
In my opinion, I am a positive person. I am trying not to pass bad emotions on my closed family or friends. I am able to help everyone in need.
1) How do you deal with recent events?

During the pandemic, a lot has changed, due to the lockdown and home office I have to spend most of my time at home. Usually, I went out a few times a week with friends or to my job, now we see each other very rarely, and I work from home.
I think that over the last months there has been more sadness in my life caused by staying at home all the time. I also often talk to my friends and have similar feelings, they think that a pandemic has a negative impact on their lives.
The worst thing is that we don't know when it will end and when we will be able to return to normal life again. I am already tired of the current situation, I think that recent events have had a negative impact on me.

2) Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?

I think one of the good ideas for increasing mental strength is to talk to friends, spend time together if possible. Staying alone at home is also often pessimistic about certain things,
That's why I think it's worth talking about your problems with other people. I always feel better after talking to someone, so I can recommend this approach.

3) Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?

I consider myself a positive person. I always try to be a smiling person. I always think that there is a chance, and even from a difficult situation, you can get out in a good way. My friends also consider me as a positive person.


Quite a long and difficult topic for me, but since this is a daily routine, I think this is a good question. First of all, it is a very strong sense of social distance and also during breaks, a deep state of depression. But as our life goes on, we need to move on. I really hope that soon a lot of things will change and return, at least half of it to the right track. But even if not, then you need to come to terms with it.

Usually, it helps me a lot, communicating with loved ones, with friends, or doing my favorite things, hobbies or movies, watching TV shows, as well as games and cooking different dishes. But sometimes, when it does not help to distract myself, then I try to think very much what worries me, and then solve these problems.

I consider myself neither a good nor a bad person. I consider myself a "gray man". Since it is very difficult in the world to distinguish between white and black shades, good or bad, evil or good, therefore it is much easier to perceive the world around you in Gray tones.
Karolina Rolska said…
During the time of pandemic and lockdown, I struggled a lot with living by myself, which wasn’t an issue before. So I dealt with it by visiting my family a lot, staying in my family home for most of the week, and coming back to my place only when I had to work on something for school. Spending plenty of time with my parents and siblings, but also having some time for myself in my own flat was and still is my perfect balance in this difficult time.

My way to increase my mental strength is yoga and meditation which makes me calm and relaxed, spending time with my siblings doing nothing, and talking to a specialist who knows the best how to help me when I don’t feel mentally strong.

I generally consider myself a positive person. When something happens I think that it’s going to turn out just fine and not to worry about it. But sometimes something not even that bad takes place and I feel like it’s the end of the world and become very dramatic and negative about everything, not just that.
It depends on what events we are talking about. The event that has the greatest impact on our lives at this point is certainly covid. I don't hide that it made my life difficult. Many places where we could meet other people were closed. Contact with people is the most important factor in improving our mood. Human is a social being, this is how nature shaped us and we cannot oppose it. How to deal with it? We can use substitute like video calling. I think it's a good time to develop ourselves on a professional or educational level. If we can't have an interesting social life why not do something useful? We have more time to discover what we really like to do.
I have a way to increase my mental strength but it's only easy to say when I fell well. When we feel hopeless, we often forget about our positive habits. It's worth writing down things that will help us and when we feel bad, just open our notebook.
In my case, sport is a surefire way to deal with bad emotions. Endorphins which are the happiness hormone are released after sports are practiced.
Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person? It largely depends on the situation I am in. As often as it possible I'm trying to be positive person. Instead of feeling sorry, I prefer action that will improve the situation but not always it's so easy. In difficult times, it's good to return to the things that have always brought us joy. It's good to have some passions to keep something to do and not have time to be sad.
I will start with answering the 3rd question - I have always considered myself one of the most positive persons I have ever known. In high school I was very often asked: “why are you smiling all the time”, “Why are you so happy?” and my answer has always been: “Why not?”. I have always felt like I am incredibly lucky to be able to live the life I am living, with my amazing family and friends. No matter what was happening I always knew, that everything will be alright, because this is how my life has always been – everything has just always ended up right.

The fact that my life has been like this for the past 22 years, makes me feel very uncomfortable right now. In the beginning of the pandemic I didn’t feel like it was anything serious. I was just happy that I didn’t have to get up early and use public transport. I didn’t think about getting ill, the sides effects of getting ill or how the coronavirus could affect my family, because regardless of what happened in the world, my family was never affected, so why would they be right now? I was quite sure it will just end and we will all go back to normal in the beginning of summer. Unfortunately, it is already November, and the situation is just getting worse… And this is where my problem starts - I just can’t deal with the fact that it doesn’t just go away like all my problems have always gone.

I wouldn’t say that I am depressed or that this situation causes any mental health problems to me. I’m just sad that it is happening during the best years of our lives. I just miss going out, dressing up, doing my makeup and having fun like a normal 22-years old girl. However, the worst for me is that I can’t visit my grandparents, drink tea with them and eat cake while gossiping. Nevertheless, because of my positive attitude, I still believe that it will all go back to normal very soon.

All in all, even me with my extremely positive thinking, needed to find a way to deal with this new situation. The first and best thing that has happened to me was adopting a dog. Because the Mayor of Warsaw decided to close the shelters in the beginning of the pandemic, we took care of one dog so she didn’t have to sit in a cage with no contact with humans. She was supposed to be in our house only until they open the shelters, but it was quite obvious that none of us would agree to put the dog back in a cage after 2 months of sleeping in or beds… Having her is the only positive thing I owe to this pandemic. The second thing is activity. I started walking a lot. Right now, I can go for a walk with my dog and we end up walking about 25 kilometers in one day. I found out that it’s a great opportunity to explore Warsaw, the city I have been living in my whole live but never actually got to know it. The other way to explore is bicycling. I started bicycling so much that my grandfather decided to buy me a new bicycle to support my new hobby.

I just feel like the best way to increase your mental strength is to find yourself activity you like doing and just keep doing it. To find yourself something interesting to do and don’t look at this situation like at something terrible, do not watch too much news programs, as they are really depressing sometimes, but look at it like a great opportunity to focus on yourself and develop.
Jakub Parteka said…
1. How do you deal with recent events?

Due to pandemic my life changed a lot. First of all, during that time I had to move away from my parents and to be honest lockdown is not the best way to start living on your own. It was hard for me to accommodate to living alone especially when I heard so many bad news from all around the world with no one to talk to in person. Second my mental and psychical health got worse because of not being able to meet with my friends or any people at all. As of the psychical health right now I have many problems with my back due to working/studying without being able to do sports properly. I managed to improve my looks after first lockdown and as of now we have another one for 2 weeks already (gyms closed). On top of that we have a new abortion law which I do not want to discuss. In summary, it sucks and I do not deal with recent events well.

2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?

I try to keep my daily routine, I have many things which improves my mood for example hot shower, driving my car, listening to music. To keep my mind busy, I need to have a lot of chores, so I constantly look for stuff to do. I have found a new hobby which really helped to increase my mental strength but right now I have back problems and cannot go to my trainings.

3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?

For most of my life I would consider my life negative person, but I changed for the recent 3 years and I try to be positive every day. Unfortunately, current times are putting me to the test.
1. How do you deal with recent events?
I considere myself a lucky person because all i have to do since march is working and studying so even if everything was normal i would do the same things and probably would be iritated by fact that i cant go anywhere with my friedns. And now because nobody is leaving their houses again i have no worries. Also the fact that everybody in my family are healthy and ok keeps me sane.

2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?
I try to keep my brain busy as much as possible and also bring him joy from time to time in different forms: sometimes i buy something for myself, sometimes meet with someone, do some activities, watch a film or a series.

3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?
I considere myself very positive person. Im always looking in pluses of every situation and try to make laught of every bad thing that happens (if possible of course). Also im always trying to halp people when they have bad mood of somethings happen and give them som joy that i try to live with and find good way out of whats going on.
The begging of the pandemic was a horrific time for me. I completely lost myself for a few months. I’ve always been a very energetic and enthusiastic person, but during the lockdown I lost all of my energy. I didn’t care about my duties and I couldn’t force myself to do anything productive. Knowing that this situation can’t last forever I've decided to find some new hobbies which would help me to forget about this specific time. I’ve completed a course of sewing and also I was working for 2 months. This helped me recover my mental health and deal with pandemic reality.

When I feel tired of all this situation I talk with my friends or do something, which makes me happy like, for example watching feel-good movies. I also try to think optimistically and don’t let fall myself into apathy.

As I said, I consider myself as positive person. I see world through rose-colored glasses. Many of my friends told me that I am one of the most optimistic persons they’ve ever met. I don’t like waisting my time on worrying and I always try to find some advantages of any bad situation.
Recent times proved to be challenging for me.
At first, I was delighted by the fact that my company embraced remote-only operating mode.
As a matter of fact, I was advocate for remote work choice freedom.
However, as months had passed I felt that something is off. It wasn't the same anymore.
Currently, I am sure that working exclusively remotely, for such a long time, is not working for me.
I realize, that striking balance between remote/on-site is something I need to take care of eventually.

As such, keeping my mental strength was of utmost importance.
Method that is working for me, is taking walks.
I especially favor it, while I am in my countryside ranch.
The reason is that there is a lot of space and nature, like forests and gardens.
Not to mention abundance of domestic and wild animals.
Even thinking of it, calms me and gets me through though times.

Generally, I try to be a positive person and I believe it pays off.
I go even as far as imagining completely exotic scenarios, as long as they are positive and can help cheer someone up.
Eventually, things can go too hard sometimes and faith fails, however as I look back, being negative doesn't help at all.
1. Not that much has changed for me, or at least I don't see this as a tragedy. I am a bit worried about the possibilities of staying fit this time when gyms are closed, but for this moment it is still possible to do street workout. So currently everything seems fine, but I am worried about the future.

2. I don't think I have any special way, but a combination of living a good life. Following your goals, keep getting better and staying healthy. If something bad happens (the thing that is irreversible) my way is to focus on something else for some time. Negative emotions will eventually shrink, then you could re-think the situation and make some conclusions.

3. If you have asked me this question a few years ago, I wouldn't know the answer. Now I am sure I am more of a positive person. I try to be happy, I try to take a lesson from everything bad that happens and using it on my side later. Also, this is what many people around told me - you are a positive person. This actually made me think about my overall attitude to life.
At the beggining of the pandemic and lockdowns, that started in the middle of March, it was actually easier for me to stay at home, rather than go out. I was constantly anxious about keeping the distance and washing hands after touching every surface. But as the time went by, and it still unknown when will we go back to our old lives, isolation and lack of social interactions have made a negative impact on my mental health. I feel that nowadays I spend more time scrolling through news. and social media, checking whats happening in the world, and the news that are constantly appearing are more and more disturbing.

To increase my mental strength I would usually spend time with my friends or family, but as it now impossible to do so I try to distract myself with things I enjoy doing on my own such as reading books, doing yoga, playing video games or binge watching Harry Potter.

I would describe myself as a positive person, as I always like see a brighter side of things and appreciate every moment. Unfortunatly, nowadays it's getting really hard to do so. I've recently read an article how lack of social interaction might affect your character. As a social beings we are used to describing ourselves similarly to what others view us as. When go into isolation for an extended period of time without social interactions, we sort of forget how to act when we are around people. I think it is very interesting on how this view might evolve with events that will follow.
How do you deal with recent events?

When the pandemic had begun I was feeling really overwhelmed and it had hit me really hard. I couldn't find a place for myself and I was scared. For now I am kinda used to it, it's not a surprise anymore. Of course it's not a normal situation and I would prefer living normally, not in the lockdown and isolation. This time it is different because I am a bit calmer in this "pandemic case". My attention is focused a lot more on the present political situation in Poland. I feel a little anxious, I feel that the anger is taking control of my actions. I can't find a suitable solution for that. For now I am actively defending women rights, making posters, going on a protests. I found out that it helps a lot with the anger and overwhelming frustration. It's not a solution for a long period of time, but for a day or two it's working just fine.

Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?

I have a long story of building my mental strength. First of all we need to believe in ourself. Being the toughest judge for ourself it's not the best way to make progress in anything. Of course it is good to expect a lot and doing everything to reach our goals, but it could also cause a serious damage to our self-esteem when we fail. The best way is to try love yourself, but in a healthy way, not toxic, narcistic one. We need to know our boundaries, estimate what we can do and what we can't. Our environment is a very important aspect for our mental health. First of all people surrounding us are having a big impact on how we feel and what we think. Sometimes we need to isolate ourself from those, who are hurting our feelings or with whom we sre having a toxic relationship. The hard decisions we make are having a big impact on our future. I think that we shouldn't hide our emotions or trying to look strong, when actually we are "dying inside". But hey! We need to remember that there is a lot of love and happiness around us, and even though sometimes we feel like there is nothing for us anymore, we need to remind ourself that tomorrow it's a new day and we can do with it whatever we want!

Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?

For now I am trying to stay positive, but to be honest I'm rather negative person. I don't like to get ready for something, or expect something when it is very possible that it wouldn't happened. I prefer to have a nice surprise when my bad assumptions are actually turning out good, than feeling bad when the situation is opposite. Although I believe that we shouldn't be too positive or too negative. It's healthier when we can evaluate the situation, considering all of the pros and cons, preparing ourself for the most possible variation.
Marek Parr said…
1. That's a hard question. At the beginning of the pandemic I thought that it won't affect me that much. I was happy that I will be working and studying remotely, but unfortunately the company I worked for began to have financial problems so when my contract ended in May they did not renew it. I was even happy when that happened, because I had more time to focus on my studies. That extra time came in handy, because the end of the last semester was pretty intense. But after some time this situation started to have a bad effect on me. Holidays this year were different than all the previous ones. On the one hand I was having fun playing video games and spending time with my girlfriend, but on the other hand all days seemed the same and 2 months passed like 2 weeks. Since I started a new job I've been trying to focus on it and I think it works, but I have really big problem with working on my thesis, because I simply can't force myself into focusing on it. It's already November and I barely did anything. I don't know why but I feel like the moment I try to start working on it I lose all of my focus and motivation.

2. I've never thought about it as a way to increase my mental strength, but having good relationship with friends and family is very important for me. I think that with support it is way easier to deal with ones problems.

3. I think I'm a positive person. I've always been an optimist. When there is an obstacle I am almost always sure that I will overcome it somehow. I think that sometimes I'm even too much of an optimist, because I'm so sure that I can make it, that I stop thinking about how I will do it.
I am impressed by how powerful this woman is. She lost the two most important people in her life and she managed to recover. I agree with the sentence that life is not fair. I would like to change my bad habits into better ones, but it takes a lot of work. A milestone is taking the first step in changing your life.

1. How do you deal with recent events?

At the beginning of the year, I was very scared of the COVID-19. My mind did not understand why we suddenly have to wear masks and avoid leaving the houses. It was depressing to me that I can't go to the office or to the restaurant. Fortunately, I am used to my new life and I enjoy that. I tried to find the positives of this situation and I managed to do that. I love working from home! I can wake up at 7:55 and start working at 8:00. Moreover, I can work in my bedroom where I feel good.

2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?

I always find the positives of each situation. I try to focus on and understand my feelings. It is much easier to react when you know what's happening to you. I read psychological books and I do exercises to improve mental strength.

3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?

Well, it is a very difficult question for me. I am a realist, so sometimes I am a positive person, and sometimes I am negative. I try to improve myself every day.
1. How do you deal with recent events?
Pretty well. I have a lot of time for working becouse I don't have to commute. A few deadlines were rescheduled nicely according to my needs. University classes became more productive because I don't have to waste a lot of time for attending to University and the timetable is better made. The one thing that is making me mad is lack of parties, less time to meet with people I see once a time and general situation consequences.

2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?
A lot of but I believe that it is pretty individual. There is a lot of work to find personal way of increasing mental strength but probably the only way to do it is to work hard with ourselves.

3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?
It depends on situation but as I can judge by my mates I am totally positive person in this sens that it is pretty hard to make me nervous about something. I can see a bright sight of every situation because I don't like to cry on the spilled milk.
I think that the story of this woman was rather depressing, and even though she wanted to convey a positive message, I just focused on how hard would be for me to go through such an extreme level of loss.

1. How do you deal with recent events?
I don't think that my routine has changed a lot. It's a fact that I can't go to university, but learning from home leaves me with a larger amount of free time. We also can't meet in a larger group of friends, but it's not a problem to me, since I prefere meeting only with a few people per one time. The most difficult part for me is that I have to sit at home with my parents, and listed to their judgement much more often than I used to. I'm pretty sensivite, so it's a difficult time for me.

2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?
I try to talk a lot with my supporting friends, or to get rid of my negative emotions by turning them into art. The lattest one is actually pretty beneficial, because I feel that my drawings look better when I'm drawing while being depressed. This method can be a little bit destructive as well, but I'm trying not to think about it.

3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?
I'm trying to stay realistic, but in the same time, I think that I have a tendency for being a negative person. Sometimes my emotions are just too overwhelming.
Olga Przytula said…
1. I think I’m managing them quite well. I feel more tired and daunted by my masters project than by actual situation. It is hard, that’s true, but on the other hand … is there anything I can do about it rather than be safe and behave responsibly?

2. No, I don’t think I don’t. Maybe I should read something about improving it. It could be quite helpful…

3. That depends. On everyday basis I think I am a positive person, a bit goofy and bubbly if you ask me. I do like a good laugh, I don’t treat life to seriously. But when it comes to my work or talking about my talents/abilities I tend to become bitter and negative. That’s also a moment when I whine a lot. Thankfully I am not a quitter, so even when I face some negative thought of feel useless I am able to get back up and do something cool.
I enjoyed this video. Being grateful is something I sometimes struggle with. My life is running like crazy and sometimes I just forget how to stop and take a deep breath.

How do you deal with recent events?
My way of coping with recent events is a rejection of bad or worrying thoughts. It's not the best way of dealing with stressful things that happens to us.

Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?
I always tried to help myself with some breaks from my life. Unfortunately, this technique starts to stop helping me quickly. I decided to go to therapy and it made a miracle.
Another thing that makes a huge factor in my life is the limitation of the usage of social media. I'm vulnerable to colorful images, funny memes, and TikTok (I just can't stop watching TikTok's!. When I use too much of it I'm getting unmotivated and uncreative.
I have only one solution to this problem. I always use a phone app that tracks time spent on screen. Once in a while, I uninstall all social media and free times apps from my phone for at least a week.

Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?
I'm a melancholic one. Nevertheless, I always try to find positive aspects of everyday life and never worry too much.
Piotr Góralski said…
1. The times of the pandemic introduce significant changes in the lives of many people, but my life has not changed in a significant way because I am rather a household member. The lack of the necessary changes made me do well in this pandemic time. I think the current situation will have a greater impact on me when I finish school, then I will find a job and start achieving my goals.
2. I try not to compare to other people and think that this is one of the better ways to build mental strength. When we try to be better than ourselves yesterday, we do not create artificial barriers in our thoughts. Improving your own skills allows you to go in the right direction in small steps and not try to immediately acquire all the knowledge that someone has.
3. I consider myself a positive person. I try never to offend the other person with my behavior and approach all matters in a stoic way. If we do not display emotions in our behavior, then we are usually not nervous and we are able to make better decisions. Being positive is great, be positive :)
Viktor Ryś said…
1.
I try to not overthing too much the events that I have experienced recently. I am not a type of person that lives in a past and I believe that this attitude helps massively in living a more happy life.

2.
I guess that doing stuff, being producitive motivates me and pushes me into a momentum
that is hard to reach without doing something. I also can see the benefits of meditation and overall awarness for increasing mental strength.

3.
Most of the time I'm a positive person, but if the situation is very stressful I might
see things darker then they really are.
Michał Gawron said…
1. I try not to focus too much on events that I have no influence on. I don't track the news and the number of cases, which helps a lot too. The truth is that if there hadn't been a pandemic, I wouldn't have been able to finish my studies. I study full-time and work full-time. Classes overlap with my working hours.Thanks to remote work and distance learning, I am able to combine these two things Despite all the bad things that happened at that time. I am thankful that my personal development has not stopped.

2. I try to stay calm and not act impulsively. I coldly analyze the whole turn of events and try to adapt. The worst thing is to get carried away in a crisis situation. It is also worth looking for a possible solution to a difficult situation.Sometimes it's worth making a joke about the situation. This allows you to take a distance. Laughter is good for health, and so is mental health.

3. I try to be positive and not take things so seriously. There are many tragedies in life and a lot of people are still depressed. I find life too short to walk depressed. You have to be a positive person because we only have one life. Why bother yourself with the situation and create worst-case scenarios.It is better to spend this time looking for positives. It is known that it is not always possible, but it is worth trying.
Maciej Antonik said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Maciej Antonik said…
1. It just so happens that I have something to do at home. Unfortunately, not everyone has this option. Some people devote a lot of time to sports such as the gym. When it comes to activities, I cycle and sometimes jog. It's getting colder and colder so lucky my girlfriend has a treadmill at home. Fortunately, she lives near me. Besides sports, I have hobbies that I can do at home, such as learning technology.


2. When something bothers me, I try to keep myself occupied. Man should have activities, otherwise the human brain will degenerate. Sport also helps with various problems. Of course, sport does not solve complicated mental problems, but it does help to raise your mood. Diet is also very important. People who eat healthy are less likely to suffer mental health problems.


3. Honestly, I don't know. I guess it depends. There are topics I am optimistic about, but there are also topics where I feel I have to take action to avoid being in a bad situation. For example at the university. I always try to learn everything I need for an exam. In such situations, I am not an optimist, I cannot rely on happiness, but only on myself.
Ania Rzeczyca said…
1. Recently I have been struggling a little mental breakdown, not a depression (it is a serious disease), just gloomy-autumn mental breakdown. A lot of stuff affects me, recent situation in Poland after 22th October, every demonstration, USA voting, global pandemic, treat of my parents and grandparents, every new information about global crisis, my future. It all makes me feel sad and angry. Gloomy weather and sitting at home all the time doesn’t help at all. First wave of covid was much better, because summer was coming and also number of deaths was much lower.
2. I focus on my studies and projects, to use this sad time to progress my skills. I also catch every sunny day, sunlight is known as a great medicine for mental problems. I also regularly practise running and bike riding as long as it is more than 5 degree Celsius. Sport = endorphins, hormone of happiness. I recommend also reading books or watching movies. It’s perfect way to for a moment forget about everyday problems.
After this speech you have presented us, I will try to analyse my unhealthy beliefs and all thoughts that may keep me back.
3. I usually consider myself as a positive person, but recently my positive approach was runed out. But I let myself to be sad, I know it will end. I just have to live it in.
I’m trying to do my best. It's really hard to separate private life and work in pandemic, now it's much easier to force employee for working afterhours. Managers are aware of fact that most of your time you're spending in your house and it's enough good reason for them to ask for “help in emergence cases” (fun fact: when your system goes on production and becoming a “living environment” every bug and issue is emergency 😊).

I’m trying to relax watching some serries or anything which doesn’t require my 100% attention. A few years ago, I would say that video games are good for that but there is one trick - you need to have a lot of time for them.

I don’t think so that anyone can be 100% positive or negative, people are changing basing on the actual situation. Relating to the question, I think I’m more like a negative person (in my opinion I'm just a realistic but my fiancée claims different).
Tkach Dmytro said…
Raising awareness and educating people about importance of not just physical, but mental health, too, as well as providing instruments on how to deal with it, is a very useful topic to discover. It helps to normalize both our and others any kind of emotions, not just socially acceptable ones, to gain a feeling of “I am not alone in this fight” on some major psychological issues (depression, disorders of autistic spectrum, PTSD, etc).
1. How do you deal with recent events?
COVID situation with lockdowns and certain social distancing rules is our new reality, and I can say I have found my way to deal with it. First, I’d say, I gained a certain level of indifference – probably most of us will have COVID at some point, there’s no sense to panic or stay on total self-isolation if you have no symptoms. This way of thinking allows me to live my normal pace and style of life, with just face masks and a bit of sanitizer added. My biggest resource of support has become my family, my partner and my friends. Since we all were missing social interactions the most, I made sure to make regular meet ups with my friends as it became possible. Sport activities make me feel good, too, so I found a new passion instead of the gym, badminton, a great sport to play outdoors or even indoors on special courts, which allow you to follow all the COVID preventing rules.
2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?
It has always been a time for yourself. I became into meditation a little bit more during lockdown since it definitely gave you enough free time with no company:) It allows you to free your mind and realize your true feelings as well as live through them in a proper way. I mean if I am feeling sad, it’s okay, I need space to be sad, to feel sadness, and there’s no need to rush to make myself all cheery and happy in a moment. Each emotion has a right to be and there is place for it. So I felt a lot of frustration because of uncertainty due to COVID, I truly was angry and sad a lot, too, and to let myself to live through that without avoiding those emotions was a proper way to prove my mental strength, I think. In addition, my key to mental stability is rest. When you ask someone what one likes to do for a rest, you might hear to go on vacation to the seaside, to go hiking, to take a road trip etc. This is great, but we often think about the rest as something big, time and money consuming. Rarely one thinks that drinking a cup of coffee or taking a walk to the park is a valid rest, while these activities are much more important! They allow you not to go crazy while you’re waiting for that certain vacation you’ve planned centuries ago:) That’s why another life hack of mine is appreciate those little breaks you make, and make them regular and pleasant for you in between your home and work routine.
3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?
According to my close ones, I am definitely a positive person. If something is inevitable, there’s no reason to worry about it. If you can do something about the issue you’re worried, go ahead and do so. It’s as simple as that.
Mateusz Szych said…
1. The pandemic, especially our government's failure to act, irritate and saddnes me. I spend most of my free time watching TV, computer or Netflix. The pandemic severely limits my activity and contacts with friends.

2. I don't feel the problems as such. However, eating chocolate makes me feel better. Chocolate stimulates the secretion of serotonin, which makes me feel better.

3. I would describe myself more as a realist. If I have to choose, I seem to be a more positive person, but sometimes I am very negative. It all depends on the day, situation and other factors that often cannot be influenced.
Adrian Zygo said…
So because of pandemic times I had to create new habits and get rid of the old ones. So for example now I and my friends meet on Discord to watch some movie instead of coming to one of us. Maybe it is not the best way to spend you free time but I feel that maintaining the relationships with your friends helps you survive this quite unstable times.

I believe that in a healthy body there is a healthy soul so my way to increase my mental strength is to working out. Also I think that very important is a good communication with your friends or girlfriend and if you are going through the hard times it is a really helpful to have a shoulder to cry.

I think that no one is 100% positive or negative person. In general I'm consider my self as a positive person but like everyone I also has some bad attitude, especially during autumn or winter.
Grzegorz Rostek said…
1. I'm actually dealing really well with the pandemic. I always were a person that prefers to stay at home so it's not that hard for me to cope with not having a lot of people to talk to in person. As for the recent events in Poland, I'm actually mad at the government, but I always found it easy to not having politics interfere with my everyday life, so i doesn't really affect my mood.

2. I usually increase my mental strength by doing something that can't really decrease my mental state, so usually I like to read a book, watch a movie or play a video game. I also like to meet with my friends, but in the times of pandemic it's hard to do so.

3. I would say that I'm a positive person, I usually try to look at everyday events in a positive way, if that's possible of course. I hardly ever complain about stuff. The only thing, or person I can be negative towards is myself. Still, i find the negative thoughts motivating to making myself better, so it's not that bad.
Angelika Dutt said…
@Grzegorz Rostek
I understand you to some extent, because I like to spend time at home, but I feel sorry for the travels around the world, which are difficult and unpredictable.
As a woman I am very angry with the government and I cannot understand such actions...
Angelika Dutt said…
@Adrian Zygo
Oh, very interesting changes, great, that it comes out to you. I tried to meet my friends at Zoom, but it didn't work out, because it was somehow strange and boring.

I'm also working out and this is the only thing that helps me :)
Artur Król said…
1. How do you deal with recent events?
I'm not really worried but I'm aware of what is happening. I simply know that I have no influence on current events and simply must accept some of them. Not entirely of course.

2. Do you have a way to increase your mental strength?
I have no particular way of increasing mental strength. There are better days and worse days. It's just important to stick to the positive side even when it is really hard. Some people believe that having an object that is supposed to help "surviving" - actually does helps them but thats nothing more than a placebo effect and also one of the way to increase mental health.

3. Do you consider yourself a positive or negative person?
I consider myself a positive person when going out to public. The thing is everyone acts differently when at home or alone. And i would love to end on that statement without exaggerating
Angelika Dutt said…
@Tkach Dmytro
Thank you for your comment.
I agree that it is very important to educate people how important mental health is. I think that each of us should work on it.
Angelika Dutt said…
@Ania Rzaczyyca
I understand you perfectly well, because I do not feel well either. The weather and short and dark days overwhelm me and I have no strength for anything. But you have to think about the food... It is said that the sun is coming out after the storm.
Angelika Dutt said…
@Michal Gawron
I also work and study full-time, so without a pandemic it would be very hard for me. Unfortunately, I cannot cut myself off from the news, because even on social media they are published.
1. I make sure I surround myself with people that have the best interests for me (friends or family) so that I can easily share my struggles with them which is usually the first step to finding a solution

2.time alone to evaluate myself (lockdown has great gift of time for this). This always bring peace of mind and stability is essential for surviving hard times such as a global pandemic.

3. I would say am a positive person overall but more realistic in order not to misguide myself or people around me
1) Recently, I've been increasingly exhausted from quarantine and noticed some bad habits. I get up later and later because I work remotely and I don't have to commute to my office. I go to the hairdresser less often and I don't care about the cleanliness of the apartment as I did last year. A month ago, I decided to change some bad habits and try to live as before with the current limitations. From the very first day, I noticed a great improvement in my well-being. I started to eat breakfast normally and there was enough time to wash the dishes and all this before work. I think that the current limitations should be treated as an opportunity to do something new, not to waste your free time for sleeping and resting.
2) Often, increasing mental strength goes hand in hand with working on your own body. It is a good idea to follow a diet or give up alcohol, cigarettes and sweets. The person feels stronger and notices that he is in control of his life. It works a bit like a snowball effect, where the person tries to force himself to do things for which there was no time or opportunity. The key is to see the results of your work as it gives you energy to continue.
3) I think I am a rather positive person. He often jokes and works on himself. I do not treat others in advance. It's hard to define myself because people only see my outer face and don't know what's going on in my head. Maybe if they knew what I have in my brain then they would consider me a negative person. : D

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