By now you have most likely received dozens of messages telling you what to do and how to behave during the pandemic. I don’t want to add to the number and elevate your stress level; just the opposite. So, I will focus on the simple techniques that might help you with managing your every day anxiety, not only related to the current world events.
Let’s start with the definition of ‘anxiety’. According to a medical dictionary, anxiety is:
A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, and feelings of stress.
It manifests differently for different people. Some have acute, short lasting symptoms; some struggle with prolonged feeling of unease and restlessness; some don’t even recognize it as anxiety anymore as it seems like a “normal” state for them.
Occasional anxiety IS a normal part of life. You might feel anxious before making a difficult decision or dealing with an unusual event like sudden death of a loved one, illness, job loss, etc. Occasional anxiety goes away with time, or resolving of the situation.
If you feel some level of stress or anxiety those days, it is absolutely normal. We, humans, like to feel in control, and right now we have no control of what is going on around us. Every day somebody else tells us what to do, what not to do, and how to behave. Things that we have always taken for granted are not accessible anymore. We are unable to do things that we like, meet the people that are important to us.
With the multitude of things you have no control over, try focusing on the few that you still can control. If you are stuck at home, use that time to do something that you always wanted to do; paint your room, renovate the old table, learn to bake bread, read books, or master that one dance move you found online, exercise, mend your favourite sweater.
Do spring cleaning, reorganize your closet, play with your dog, teach your kid how to cook and let them to teach you their favourite video-game. Connect with people via phone, WhatsApp; organize the family conference on Skype or ZOOM.
Make a plan for the time when things go wrong. Or don’t. Everybody reacts differently and needs different things. You know what makes you feel safer. If you need a plan, make it and put it aside. If you are more a “one step at a time” person, don’t worry about any plans; you will figure things out when time comes.
If you are allowed, go out for a walk, look for the signs of spring all around you, wave to neighbours, smile.
If you have an acute episode of anxiety that includes some physical symptoms, use all your five senses to bring you back to balance:
- Chose one colour and try to find all the items of that colour in your room
- Listen to all the sounds behind the window
- Touch the sofa you are sitting on and feel the texture of the fabric
- Touch your skin, feel the warmth of your body
- Smell the flower in the vase or an apple
- Bite the apple and chew slowly focusing on the taste
- Drink slowly a glass of cold water and feel the temperature in your throat, taste, the touch of glass on your lips
- Breathe and feel the air entering your nose and coming out through your mouth
If you feel better, put on some music or return to the activity that helps you relax. Try to understand what are you really afraid of; what is your fear about?
Talk to someone. Don’t assume, that your partner or a roommate feel exactly the same as you do. Ask them and listen to the response. Ask how they manage their stress; you may learn something really useful.
Be kind, be compassionate. It too shall pass.
By Eva Sadowski Photo courtesy of Pexels
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