Coping Strategies for Federal Workers in the Greater Baltimore Area: Managing Stress in Uncertain Times
The last past two weeks (or even months) for Federal workers have been exhausting, fearful, confusing, and uncertain. With many executive orders filing in, there is a cloud of mystery and unknown with what is going to happen to all aspects of life in the coming days, weeks, and even years. A group that has been hit hard are the federal workers. They are the nurses, scientists, social workers, doctors, engineers, assistants, attorneys, air traffic controllers, TSA workers, food safety inspectors, park rangers, water inspectors, auditors, and the list goes on and on.
Their jobs are instrumental in our day to day lives. They work to support the people, communities, and environment they themselves live in. Being in Maryland — so close to the Nations capital — it doesn’t take much to find one in our own lives. They are the moms, dads, neighbors, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles we know and love. Their jobs were created for a reason — a reason to help serve us.
How to support yourself and those in your life who are struggling
As we continue to face uncertainty, here are some ideas to support yourself and the people in your life who might be currently struggling.
Find comfort in what you can control. When the world feels scary; look within your life. Focus on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can bring comfort. What are your coping mechanisms? What do you do for support? What helps you recharge? Who can you go to for support?
Focus on the present moment. Many theoretical orientations, like mindfulness and DBT, focus on learning how to bring our attention to the present moment, and what is happening at this moment. We don’t want to miss out on life happening in front of us by going down a rabbit hole of what ifs.
Keep the future in mind. It would be invalidating to discount how the present impacts the future. It can help to create a safety net for yourself and others. This may mean looking at savings, pushing off a big purchase, advocating for social and political change, writing and calling your congressman and senators, etc.. There is no one solution.
Find support. Please reach out to friends, family, and professionals to help manage these tough feelings. No one has to go through this alone. If you think I or someone from Lifespring can be of help- we are here to help. Sharing and naming feelings, learning coping strategies, finding more community support, learning and setting boundaries are all issues people seek out therapy.
I hope these ideas help serve you and the people in your life who are currently struggling. Thank you to all Federal workers who show up to work. Your work is so meaningful and important.
Interested in Counseling in Baltimore, MD for Depression, Anxiety, or Coping Skills?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online & in-person counseling for depression, anxiety, and coping skills aren’t the only services offered at our Baltimore, MD office.
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Ashley Swift, LCPC, NCC
Ashley Swift is a trauma-informed therapist who helps her clients learn new skills for managing difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and DBT. Ashley provides online counseling services to individuals across the state of Maryland, and she also provides face-to-face therapy at our Baltimore office.
