Top tips for dealing with anxiety and stress during COVID-19
COVID-19 presents all sorts of challenges for us all. Governments are telling us when we can go out, what stores or restaurants or open, or even what to wear. Your control has maybe never been more tested. What can we do about it? We can feel anxious or stressed, yes, but what can we do about that? Here are some tips:
Start by acknowledging feelings
Find someone you can talk to, someone you trust to hear how you really feel, whether that’s a family member at home, friend nearby, in someone’s home or on a videoconferencing platform like Skype or Zoom.
Create a schedule of time to be “worried”
Most of my patients find this helpful. If you find yourself worried about COVID-19, schedule a time later for just 15 minutes in the day to express your worry about it. You can use scheduled time to acknowledge your feelings as well.
Think about “productive” versus “unproductive” stress
What’s meant by “productive” stress is thinking “Yes, I’m stressed about COVID-19 because I don’t feel as clean as I should, let me remember to wash my hands throughout the day.” This can also help when scheduling time to be worried. “Unproductive” stress involves asking yourself questions such as “What if.” You might say, “What if I leave during rush hour when it’s busier, I can catch it!” What if questions can make us more stressed by creating more unknowns, when there are unknowns, we fear more, when me fear more, stress occurs.
Taking time away from media
Yes, taking time away from social media, your phone, and even television can be important and help you from experiencing “unproductive” stress. COVID-19 news is everywhere, news articles, text messages, and forums of people showing panic. Limiting media time can help refocus your time to tasks that matter to you.
Remembering to do activities you like
When you take time away from media, it can free up more time to do things you like. Some things include going for a walk, spending more time in your garden, playing with your kids, calling that family member or friend, watching your favourite film or reading that book you always wanted to.