COVID-19 - Here’s what you can do right now to keep you & your family calm.
Americans all over the world are reacting to the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak. While the Coronavirus is a physical health condition, it has significant psychological and emotional implications. People who already suffer from Anxiety disorders are now heighted and living with more fear than ever. Those who have never dealt with anxiety, are now experiencing symptoms like heart palpitations, stress headaches, ruminating thoughts, and more. There’s worry about job loss, illness, not being able to visit family and more. My intention for you today, is to help you in managing these fears.
The very first thing I want you to be aware of is your reaction to this disease. It is normal to have worry and to begin to take precautionary measures, however please do not allow yourself to go into a state of panic. When in panic, you react from a, “fight and flight” position. Your thoughts become irrational and impaired.
Take a look below at these 7 things you can do today to ease your worries and fears:
1 - Pay attention to the facts. Everyone has their own understanding of what is happening in the world today and unfortunately, information is becoming misinterpreted and misconstrued. Seek your information from reliable sources such as the Center for Disease Control.
2 - If you’re one that becomes overwhelmed with the news, be selective on how often you turn on the news. If you subscribe to regular news alerts, shut it off and check in once a day as opposed to throughout the day.
3 - Don’t give in to panic. While some anxiety can be helpful to cope with stress, panic is not. Once panic arises, you automatically feel as though you’ve lost control. Your body’s emergency response system is now activated (ie: there's an increase in heart rate, tensed muscle, dry mouth, a decrease in blood sugar level, etc) and your ability to think rationally and calmly is compromised.
4 - Practice some mindfulness activities to keep you from perseverating over the worry of this pandemic outbreak. One activity you can do to keep you present is called the, "Five Senses exercise.
Take notice of:
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Visit https://www.facetofacecounseling.com/blog-1/mindfullness for a list of other calming & grounding activities.
5 - Recognize and Notice when your mind is going into worry mode. Immediately shift your attention to something else or involve yourself in a hands on activity like writing or doing a cross word puzzle.
6 - Exercise - If your local gym is closed, go for a walk or run outside. If the weather is too cold, do an in-home exercise. Be creative...you can join a facebook live exercise group or you can even organize a group of your friends and do a virtual exercise together (check out companies like skype, facetime, facebook live, freeconferencecall.com).
If you find that you are unable to manage your anxiety and worry on your own, please reach out to a qualified professional for help (you can call Face to Face Counseling and Psychotherapy 917-834-6211).