Perhaps now more than ever, people often find themselves in need of someone to talk to; someone to converse with about the stresses and frustrations facing them at this most uncertain and frightening of times. Yet also more than ever, when so many are isolated and confined to their homes, that kind, caring “someone” may seem illusive.
Those feeling alone and stressed in the time of COVID-19 now have a new local lifeline, in the form of a free telephone line.
Diane Friedberg, wellness coordinator at WellCome OM Integral Healing & Education Center in Spring Hill, is offering Complimentary Emotional Support Calls to anyone struggling with issues related to COVID-19.
“This is our way of giving back to the community, and falls in line with the work we do anyway,” said Diane, a certified professional life coach with more than 30 years’ experience. “Everyone is affected by what’s going on right now, and we need to help.”
The help that Friedberg offers comes in the form of free 30-minute sessions in which she speaks to callers one-on-one to discuss and offer comforting guidance in regards to their challenges, concerns, and goals in these troubled times.
“There are so many levels and layers to this crisis, and people are worried about their futures,” said Friedberg, a Certified Wellness & Life Coach, accredited by The Coaches Training Institute. “Many people were facing hardships before, that are now coupled with the current world situation. And they might be isolated from family and friends, the ones they usually talk to about their problems.”
Friedberg stresses that her phone service is not an emergency line, and that she can’t offer concrete solutions to individual problems.
“What I offer is guidance,” said Friedberg, whose background includes life, wellness, oncology, program development, energy work, seminars, management, marketing, and public relations. “I listen to them as they express their feelings and tell me what is going on with them.”
Beyond listening, Friedberg–a certified HeartMath Coach, a Reiki practitioner, and PureBioenergy specialist–offers basic suggestions to help callers alleviate their fears and concerns. She might take them through basic breathing and relaxation exercises, refer them to books and videos that demonstrate yoga and meditation techniques (particularly helpful for those who find it difficult to visit gyms and studios right now), suggest distracting household activities (everything from watching a light-hearted movie to cleaning out a closet) and generally help them achieve a calmer, more positive mindset.
“I try to help them connect their thoughts and their feelings, to give them good thoughts and positive visualizations,” she said. “Once you realize you have an issue, the main thing is how it affects you on an emotional scale. When you eliminate your fears, you learn how to cope. When you have a more positive perspective, you think more clearly.”
At the completion of the call, Friedberg hopes to give the caller the tools that will help them face and master their challenges.
“Once we get to the root of the fear, the caller can achieve the right emotional attitude,” she said. “Then they can take it from there.”
The next step, in the minds of some, might be an in-person holistic wellness session with Friedberg at the WellCome OM Center, 4242 Lake in the Woods Drive in Spring Hill.
“We’re still here, offering the same services,” said Friedberg. “We take extreme precautions and practise social distancing, but we are open.”
Callers are under no obligation to schedule an in-person session; indeed, Friedberg says that she simply wants to give callers the tools and the initiative to seek their own peace of mind, on their own terms.
To schedule a Complimentary Emotional Support Call, visit https://wellcomeomcenter.com/holistic-wellness-coaching/.
“Our goal with these calls,” said Friedberg. “is to empower.”
