The pandemic may be behind us, but lockdown life has had a detrimental affect on Gen Z. ➡️
“Life started moving so I had to do it too,” Aya says, and adds that “by focusing on the present and cultivating self-awareness, I was better equipped to manage stress, regulate my emotions, and approach challenges with a clear mind.”
Katherine Alexander a Neurocoach from Yung Mash explains how anxiety affects the brain and why mindfulness can help: “Anxiety is simply an uncertainty about what may or may not happen in the future, in other words too much time spent in your Default Mode Network, aka the Imagination Centre of the brain. It’s the largest part of our brain and we rely on it to create solutions to problems and come up with various scenarios of what our future may look like.
If you or someone you know has experienced loneliness or social anxiety as a result of pandemic, members of the YungMash Collective, founded by Masha Shishkina, have shared their tips and small steps that might help alleviate some of the daily struggles.“Taking a moment each day to reflect on things I am grateful for allowed me to shift my perspective and focus on the positive aspects of life,” says Aya.
Neurocoach Marilyn adds that by doing this before you go to bed you will “give your brain a shot of dopamine that will help you to sleep better. ”“When stressed, breathe in something that makes you happy - it could be a slice of cake or the smell of the sea breeze, just close your eyes and take a slow deep breath, breathing in all the sensations associated with what makes you happy. Just as slow, breathe out the thing that upsets or worries you.