Refill Your Emotional Piggy Bank

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What reality are we in? Trying to avoid the term “new normal” is hard. We have officially fallen into a new routine. Our stories, no matter how mundane or tragic during this time, still mean something. The "treat yo self" movement was favorable pre-COVID-19 and the US election season. An emotional piggy bank constitutes deposits made into your subjective well-being (physical, cognitive, and social). We save and withdraw when needed.

At times, an emotional piggy bank is full, but at a moment's notice, it can empty completely, with no sense predicting a return. Nevertheless, all piggy banks need filling. And for some, the need to refill has seen better days.

Headspace state of mind

During the first month, most inside tiny New York City apartments found their only escape was a fire escape. Teachers College, Columbia University graduate student Sydney Zuniga “felt confident in my mental health resources to do what I needed to get through this. So, I did what anyone in my position would do: I downloaded Headspace.” New York was hit hard in the early days of the pandemic, and resources saw a helping uptick. Headspace provides free access to their special “NY Collection” to mentally calm down New York. As the days have gone by, Zungia’s peppy “I got this!” attitude has slowly dwindled to answering the “how have you been” question with just petty laughter. Sounding familiar?

Investing in your bank

It’s no surprise that negative thoughts outweigh positive ones. Yet, how do we gain positives when the negatives are so much? Prospective studies have shown that frequent positive affect predicts (a) resilience to adversity (nobody or nothing is holding you back), (b) increased happiness (call the doctor, we got ourselves a case of positive attitude), (c) psychological growth (praise the ever-growing mindset that lives within me), (d) lower levels of cortisol (we have a complicated relationship with her), (e) reduced inflammatory responses to stress (i.e. cortisol), (f) reductions in subsequent-day physical pain (can you believe?), (g) resistance to rhinoviruses (please wear a mask), and (h) reductions in stroke (Fredrickson & Losada, 2005).

Sounds great but how do we get there? Here are a few ways to invest in your emotional piggy bank:

• Be mindful: Utilize apps such a Headspace, Calm, and Insight timer. These apps not only have guided meditation but they can also help you sleep. (Harry Styles reading you a bedtime story? Count me in.) Meditation can be whatever you want it to be. It could last for 5 minutes. It could be a run with no headphones, focusing on breathing and body movement. In a study researching the effects of meditation, mindfulness brings various positive psychological effects, including increased subjective well-being, reduced psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and improved behavioral regulation (Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2011).
• Invest in your mental hygiene: According to Sydney, “deodorant or brushing your teeth is a non-negotiable” so, why not mental hygiene? Reflect on the things you are grateful for in a journal. Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of gratitude in interpersonal relationships, social support, subjective well-being, strengthened relationships with others, and enhanced physiological and cognitive functioning (Işık & Ergüner-Tekinalp, 2017).
• Surround yourself with people who lift you up: Don’t be around people who bring your down (or at least work on some extra space or provide them perspective if you can). While we still interact with negative people (jobs or family members), we have the power to shut off our phone after work hours or delete/pause our social media feeds. A longitudinal study from 1983 to 2003 showed that happiness was contagious, and people who are surrounded by happy people are more likely to become happy in the future (Fowler & Christakis, 2008). Not convinced? Get ready for some stats. According to this study, a friend who lives within a mile and who becomes happy increases the probability that a person is happy by 25% (Fowler & Christakis, 2008).

Mental health practices look different to everyone, so this is not a one size fits all practice. Take what tips you’d like. Integrating mindfulness, reflecting, and being consciously aware of who and what your surrounding yourself with will allow your emotional piggy bank to fill up. These helpful recommendations can quickly remind you what to do to feel full again.

Acknowledgments: Teachers College, Columbia University graduate student Sydney Zuniga was helpful in the construction of this piece as a co-writer and researcher.