If you’re feeling anxious about the current state of the world brought on by the coronavirus, then you are not alone. Of course, everyone should be concerned about the pandemic, but if you’re worried about how you may cope with a rising swell of anxious feelings, then this article may help.
If you have a history of anxiety, or frequently stress about your health to the point of obsessive thoughts and actions, you may need extra support to help you get through the crisis.
Find Calm Amid Your Worries About the Coronavirus
Managing your anxiety takes strategic thinking, and a good starting point is to ask yourself the following questions:
- What coping mechanisms do you currently have in place?
- What is your biggest fear?
- What is your current level of worry?
- How does your body usually respond to worry?
When feelings of anxiety first rise because of a new threat like the coronavirus, it’s essential to focus on the strategies that you know will work for you. It’s also necessary to try a little more of some actions and a little less of others, which we will discuss later in this article.
Take some comfort from the fact that you have it in you to calm and steady yourself. Remember to stick to what you know. While everyone will experience similar feelings, remember that there’s no single strategy for calming yourself, as everyone learns to cope in their own way.
Do These Things More Often
Today’s digitally connected world means that social distancing doesn’t mean we have to entirely disconnect from family and friends who don’t share our home. It’s possible to stay in touch through text, voice chatting, phone calls, video conferencing, and even online games if that’s your thing.
Don’t believe everything you read about the coronavirus, and only stick to reliable sources. This way, you won’t have to burden yourself with misinformation about the virus and the symptoms it produces.
Do These Things Less Often
The virus is giving us plenty enough to worry about, but misinformation only serves to spread more stress and harm. Stay informed, but don’t obsess over it.
Check your favorite (and reliable) news sources once in the morning, and briefly again at night. Constantly checking throughout the day will only feed your stress and anxiety without giving you any new or useful information.
Ways to Calm Your Worries
There are many methods you can use to help you relax when you find yourself getting overly worried about the situation.
Try Practicing Yoga – Yoga might not be your thing, but if it’s new and you’d like to give it a try, then it can be incredibly centering and calming. There are plenty of online resources for you to learn yoga, as well as apps on your smart devices. If you have one of the latest video game consoles, then that’s another avenue to explore learning yoga, with most platforms having yoga ‘games’ available.
Meditation – Learning the skill of meditation allows you to wrest control from the cascade of negative and worrying thoughts that can flood your mind. As with most things, there are apps for teaching meditation, as well as online resources and eBooks.
Deep breathing – Controlling your breath is a type of meditation. As you learn to focus on your breathing, it will help take your mind off your anxiety and worry.
Explore new relaxation methods – There will be plenty of relaxing activities you may have never tried before. Some people love to have their minds whisked away to another realm by way of a book, while others will enjoy a good laugh with a favorite comedy. Listening to calming music is another avenue many find to be excellent for calming a mind that’s run away with itself. Try doing more cooking of your favorite foods, and make sure to have meaningful contact with your loved ones however you can.
A global pandemic means that we are all in it together, regardless of nationality. The news media will be focusing on the coronavirus for some time, but we will get through it if we follow the advice of health professionals.
Keep up with good hygiene, follow social distancing guidelines, be sensible, and use whatever calming strategies you know work best for you. If we all do these things, then we will all be helping each other to get back to normal soon.
Online Counseling
Online therapy is a great option if you find that you need a little extra support to get through this stressful time. You can benefit from counseling services while you remain safe at home. Click here to learn more: Online Therapy