Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well as we near the end of this stressful year. This post is kind of a departure from past ones focusing on books, subscription boxes, and planner content, but I’ve been meaning to make this post for some time but with life, work, and everything that’s been going on it never really materialized. However, with the winter season coming, and more people getting sick (even with the vaccine on the horizon), I still wanted to post this in the hopes it helps anyone dealing with anxiety – whether it’s been related to COVID and the pandemic, or just anxiety for other various reasons. If you enjoyed this type of posts please let me know in the comments to share more content on those topics!
First, it’s important to understand what is anxiety in the first place. We often hear that term often and it is sometimes used interchangeably with feeling stressed. Anxiety (in a nutshell) is being in a state of intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear. We all experience stress on one level or another on a daily basis, but it becomes “anxiety” when that fear and worry become so unmanageable that it hinders you from even doing the most basic of daily tasks. Anxiety is often your body’s response to a situation in a fight-or-flight mode, and symptoms can range from mild to extreme, including:
- Fatigue
- Excessive worry, fear, and/or feelings of impending doom
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Heart palpitations
- Trembling
- Lack of concentration
- Hypervigilance, irritability, and/or restlessness
- Changes in eating habits
- Escalation in social anxiety
Typically we often tend to look for individuals with risk factors that make them more susceptible to experiencing anxiety (or any other mental health concern). However, it can be safe to say that if you are a human living in 2020, anxiety is something that you’ve experienced at least once at some point this year, whether due to COVID or other life factors you or your family have gone through.
So how do we work on managing that anxiety when we’re feeling like things are outside our control and so much going on around us? Below are some tips and ideas to utilize, some of which you may already be doing to help you get through stressful times.
BE GENTLE ON YOURSELE
This has been a stressful time for a lot of people. IT IS OK TO FEEL THAT WAY! Learning to acknowledge and normalize what we are feeling can help you find ways to manage those feelings and emotions. Think back to what has worked for you in the past to a time where you were stressed and it brought you calm and comfort. Was it picking up a book? Going for a long walk or drive? Talking to loved ones? Wrapping yourself burrito-style in a snuggly blanket and marathon watching favorite movies/shows? (That last one is ME!) Whatever your go-to is, as long as it works for you than that’s all that matters. However, be very careful of negative thoughts as they can easily get in the way of trying to find comfort and calm. Don’t give them too much power over you and just let those worries and negativities go.
HAVE A PLAN
Anxiety and irrational thinking often stems from fears of the unknown, and therefore we end up feeling powerless so having a plan helps to give back a sense of control. We have to recognize we can’t always control everything, but we can still control some things and that’s what we can focus on. First, plan for you and your family to know what are the symptoms to notice if someone has COVID. Equip yourself with facts through trusted sources (i.e. CDC & WHO). Don’t overreact to physical symptoms and jump to conclusions! Sometimes a cough is just a cough, especially with cold/flu and allergies, not everything becomes COVID.
Next, know what needs to be done in the event someone does have COVID and what to do as a family. What’s the isolation process/protocol? How can care still be provided without exposing others? How will medical services be provided or if they need to be taken for medical care elsewhere? Keep in mind that there are still unexpected illness and injuries that can happen and how to manage those.
Have simple routines and plans to maintain a sense of normalcy in the household, and daily routines to keep everyone from falling into a daily rut. Plan out dinners, exercise routines, social family time, virtual interaction time, etc. and maybe change up the order of things every other day or so to not have it all feel so repetitive.
STAY CONNECTED
While the term “social distancing” can seem like it’s contradicting itself, social distancing does not mean social isolation. With the readily available features of FaceTime, and software like Skype, Zoom, Messenger, and other video chatting and conferencing tools, you can still see and talk to family, friends, co-workers, and stay connected with your community to know what is going on.
Make those interactions FUN! Don’t let each conversation focus on what’s happening on the news and other topics that can bring out negativity and sadness. Instead make those video sessions fun:
- Have a book club type discussion or share what everyone has been reading
- Make it a virtual happy hour and everyone get together with their favorite drinks
- Process how you all have been feeling and provide comfort, support, and reassurance to each other
- Try a virtual open-mic night, karaoke, trivia, or joke telling
- Share stories, updates, milestones, etc.
- Celebrate a happy occasion or mark a special event
Also while staying connected, practice kindness to others. Reaching out to those in need and offering to help them with tasks can be a great way to stay connected while also providing care and support. Offer to pick up someone’s groceries or medication (when possible), leave a care package on a family, friend, or neighbors’ doorstep, make check-up calls on loved ones, donate to local churches, food banks, or other community organizations (many offer free pick and items can be left on your front steps to minimize contact). While these activities are helping you stay connected and engaged, you’re also leading by example and being a calming influence on others by helping them gain perspective, being positive and uplifting, and offering support in a time of need.
TAKE A BREAK FROM NEWS & SOCIAL MEDIA
This is a piece of advice that regardless of a pandemic or not, we should do more of this in our day-to-day. For one thing, don’t just have the news on TV 24/7. It’s good to stay up-to-date on all that’s happening locally and around the world, but not to dwell on and be your only source of engagement. Too much exposure to the news can actually heighten your anxiety and stress. Keep it to just the important updates and highlights.
The same goes for social media. Turn off your phone and/or notifications and spend time either alone or with the family to do something fun. Some ideas include reading a book, catching up on movies/shows, virtual museum tours from around the world, listen to music and/or dance. Make it a point to make time to unplug and be in the moment. And when you do get back online, be careful of what you share and what is being shared to limit the spread of misinformation and not get stressed over untrue and unverified info.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY
We saved the biggest one for last. There is SO MUCH I can write about under this section, but I’ll only stick to highlights and maybe do future posts addressing them in more detail. It is very important that you are taking care of yourself and your health during this time as anxiety and stress can take on a very real physical toll on your body, not just your emotional and mental well-being. Some things to try can include:
- Go outside – nature can have a very calming, healing, and refreshing effect. Go for a walk, bike ride, drive, do some yard work, or even just take your morning coffee and sit on your porch and contemplate the beauty of what you see. You’d be surprised at how well and refreshed you can feel after some fresh air outdoors
- Eat & sleep – these two areas are often effected the most during times of stress, either we do too much of them or too little. Focus on getting in quality sleep to feel awake and refreshed the following day, and incorporate healthy food options in your diet. Make it a fun family activity to cook healthy meals together using your favorite fruits, veggies, and proteins. Set a good time to sleep and wake up each day to maintain a routine and make sure your are sleeping enough.
- Pick up a hobby – with the majority of everyone quarantining and working from home, this is finally the opportunity you’ve been waiting for get to those hobbies you always say you don’t have time for. Or better yet, create a new one and see what happens! We feel good when we are doing something we love and enjoy and it brings us inner peace.
- Practice mindfulness – do some meditation or deep breathing exercises to regulate your thoughts and bring your focus to the now instead of what’s going on inside your mind. There are many apps you can download to your phone if you go to the app store and just type “mindfulness” or “relaxation.”
- Journal – I know that writing is not always everyone’s cup of tea, but can you imagine if we each wrote of our experiences and years from now they can be used as documentation of this time in our history? I was reading a book that took place during WWII and part of the information the author got were quotes from people’s diaries that they kept at the time and it showed a personal and human insight of what people were thinking and feeling, not just generalized reports and numbers that the history books will record. This is definitely a significant period in our lives. Not only that, but writing helps to slow down our runaway thoughts as we focus and get them into words and on paper. Writing can also have the same affect as talking to someone and getting things off your chest by saying it out in the open and not keeping it bottled up or internalized.
- DON’T SELF-MEDICATE – in stressful times it can be easy to turn to smoking, alcohol, or drugs to cope with the stress, and that can quickly get out of hand. We’re not talking about socially partaking in those activities, but overdoing it so that it becomes a substance abuse issue. Focus on healthy ways to manage your stress and not just numb yourself to the feelings and what’s going on around you. Running away from the problem will only provide a temporary relief. If you or someone you know needs help, contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline for substance abuse programs in your area at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or TTY 1-800-487-4889.
- Try teletherapy – work and life obligations can make it hard to find the time to go see a therapist in person, but with teletherapy you can speak to someone from anyplace with just needing a reliable Wi-Fi and a device with a camera (i.e. cellphone, tablet, laptop, etc). To find a therapist you can either contact your insurance provider to find those listed in their directory and take your insurance, search online (i.e. Google, Psychology Today, etc.), or check your local community listing. Find a comfortable space in your home where you can sit and talk privately (I’ve even had some sit in their car or take a walk around the neighborhood), and you can work on addressing your mental health with a licensed professional to find inner peace and calm.
If you need additional resources and information check out Anxiety & Depression Association of America’s Coronavirus Corner for links to helpful expert tips and resources to manage anxiety.
For immediate crisis help you can also utilize the following options:
- Call 911
- Disaster Distress Helpline – 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish), or text “TalkWithUs” for English (for Spanish text “Hablanos” to 66746). Spanish speakers from Puerto Rico can text “Hablanos” to 1-787-339-2663
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, for Spanish dial 1-888-628-9454, or go to Lifeline Crisis Chat to chat with someone
- National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233 or text “LOVEIS” to 22522
- National Child Abuse Hotline – 1-800-4ACHILD (1-800-422-4453) or text 1-800-422-4453
- National Sexual Assault Hotline – 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online
- The Eldercare Locator – 1-800-677-1116
- Veteran’s Crisis Line – 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text 8388255, or go to crisis chat
If you’ve made it through this looooong post I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I hope you’ve found this information to be helpful to you or someone you think would benefit from some of the information shared. While the title is “Managing Stress & Anxiety During COVID” these are all really good tips to have handy in case of any stressful life event and coping with daily life’s struggles.
I’m wishing all of you a safe and happy holiday season. Remember…wash your hands, wear your mask, social distance, and stay safe!
~XO~
Dose of Dalia 