This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Soledad.
How have I been coping with the crisis? I’ve been practicing self discipline, self control, staying aware of my feelings and thoughts, being aware of all triggers, the five senses, touch, taste, smell, sight, sound and my internal feelings and moods and expectations and perceptions. I look at all these things like writing on a chalkboard and keep or remove what I want, I make a choice to be happy and gratefulness takes place. I continue to use stabilization by reading my Bible, praying, reading positive books only, exercising daily, listing things to do and meeting those needs that are within my reach.
Changing the TV channel when things seem bad to myself, put my radio on (KLOV) and stay inspired and motivated remembering my goals and values and keeping my life in alignment.
Through this process and staying aware of any red flag warnings such as bad past experience or and lapses such as mental, physical, spiritual and emotional. Having awareness and understanding helps myself stay focused and connected to the current issues. As well as being mindful of future events that could take place and having an ability to cope and manage these times that could become stressful to some. I continue to reach out to the men within my own housing unit to encourage those who might need a little boost from time to time.
This is how I’ve been coping throughout this crisis and I hope this small assessment can be helpful to your purpose and program, my story is still being written.
Sincerely,
12-28-20
May God bless you and everyone around you.
