Coping Strategies WIth Forensic Nurse Yianna

This week is National Nurses Week and it’s also National Mental Health Awareness month.  What better time to tap into an award-winning nurse’s experience to become mentally stronger. 

Enter Forensic Nurse Yianna Papadeas- who joins the Kefi Life podcast this week. My conversation with her offers plenty of insight to the world of mental health.  Indeed, there is a stigma attached to this part of wellness.   

As a forensic nurse working with cases involving crime and addiction, Yianna has experience with the most acute and the most difficult cases in mental health cases. However, during this week’s episode she is able to distill some strategies which will help people with all levels of mental challenges.  

“You will always have something difficult to deal with in your life. How do you build positive coping skills to offset the problem?”   

Yianna suggests three simple strategies that do not require any material or any other person to assist you.   

1 - REGROUND YOURSELF 

Start by doing a full body scan. Go head to toe.   

Feel present in your body 

I feel my head

I feel my shoulders

Drop your shoulders 

I feel my stomach 

Is my stomach knotted up?

What does it feel like 

Keep traveling down your body and ask yourself what your body feels like.   

Do this exercise form head to toe with each body part from head down.  

In the end ..... TELL YOURSELF TO RELAX.    

2- MEDITATION OR MINDFULNESS  

Shut your eyes 

Simply breathe in and say the words” breathe in,” as you are breathing in. 

Breathe out and say the words “breathe out,” as you are breathing out. 

Do the breathing exercise for 20-30 seconds and then just let the mind wander to your happy space.   

This meditation strategy takes patience and practice but, in the end, it is a great quieting practice to shut out the negativity.   

3- MOVEMENT 

Research shows that moving your body is good to release stored trauma.  There are no hard and fast rules to movement.  Just move any way you want to, anywhere and anytime.  Just move.  When bad energy and trauma builds up in the body, the mind begins to suffer and struggle with a regular routine, movement will begin to release endorphins and allow a different feeling to emerge.  

Dancing is a great way to move and release bad energy and dancing and singing will make you feel normal and safe.  

Hope you will begin to practice one or all three of these simple coping strategies to keep your mind and brain in a positive and healthy space, not only this month but always.  

Wishing you all is well- Ola Kala on your healthy journey. 

Filakia –Kisses, 

Kiki