Useful tips to help Manage Anxiety Surrounding Coronavirus ..Dr. ‘s tips
Managing Anxiety Surrounding Coronavirus
We can control our 1) attitude and 2) actions (adopted from Dr. K- see below March 18, 2020)
Attitude:
Manage your attitude. “Attitude” means your basic view of your relationship with panic and anxiety, your judgment of panic, your belief about how you should act in the face of anxiety.
As we approach any task, our attitudes and beliefs influence the degree to which we are willing to try to solve problems, our determination to persist in the face of obstacles, and the amount of time and energy we devote to the endeavor. (Source: https://www.anxieties.com/48/panic-step3
Actions:
(Below actions adapted from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prescriptions-life/201201/how-manage-the-anxiety-comes-change
1) Write down what you’re anxious about
What are you most afraid of? What are all the terrible things that could happen? What’s the worst case? Write them all down. Now look at them, and ask yourself what the probability is that any of this would happen? Would it really be the end of the world?
Chances are none of these bad things will come about, and if you’ve written this in a journal with the day’s date, you’ll look back months or years later and smile thinking how everything turned out just fine. Maybe the results were downright amazing. This is a great reference to have for future anxieties.
Finally, when I’ve made this kind of list I hand it over to God to take care of, and then move on and do whatever I have to do next.
2) Breathe
When we’re scared or stressed we breathe shallowly. If you feel nervous take 5 (Breath in for 5, breath out for 5. You’ll feel much calmer and also have more mental clarity that will help you with problem-solving and planning.
3) Do yoga or stretching
The combination of breathing and stretching calm the nervous system and help you relax. It also gets you out of your worried monkey mind and into your body, which can be a great relief.
4) Exercise regularly
Do some form of exercise every day. Walks are really great for calming an anxious mind and blowing off steam. If I’m feeling really wired, I’ll turn it into a run and sometimes even talk or shout out loud about my worries or frustrations as I pound my feet across the ground. (luckily, I have a place I can go where there usually aren’t too many people around to witness this spectacle) Don’t exercise too close to bedtime, though, as this can make it hard to sleep if you’re already tense.
5) Seek out positive memories
A great tool is to go back in your mind to times when you felt seriously anxious about a new element of your life. How did things turn out? Chances are everything was just fine, and it’s really useful to remind yourself of this.
6) Hire a coach or counsellor to help you through
When you’re worried about steps you’re taking forward and the related anxiety, it’s helpful to have an expert sounding board. It’s one of my greatest joys to tell clients that their worries are totally normal and that I have had similar experiences – I love hearing and feeling their relief pouring down the phone line.
*****
Dr. Karyn Gordon shares her tips to stay clearheaded during times of uncertainty
During this time is a great example of how to manage anxiety in a situation that’s really uncertain. The number one thing I want people to focus on is that panic and anxiety are an emotion, we cannot control emotions. So, the more we focus on these anxieties the more it expands. It is good to acknowledged the feeling but don’t stay there because the more you stay there it actually makes it worse. You can acknowledge the fear and anxiety, but then lets shift our focus to the two things we can control.
Control
We can control 1) attitude and 2) actions, and this is where we put our focus. We accept what we can not control which is the fact that it’s here and focus on what we can control. When we focus on those two things then thats when we all of a sudden get more calm.
The Unknown Defined
Quarantine is a separation and restricting the movement of people who are exposed to any kind of contagious disease to see if they become sick.
Social Distancing remaining out of places where people meet or gather on mass. Remaining a distance of 6 feet to two meters from others.
Kids
In situations like these the kids will mirror the emotion of their parents. If parents are panicking, kids will be panicking. If parents focus on their attitude and actions because those are the two things that we can control the kids will be okay. Plans reduce anxiety and the more that we can do as parents the kids will sense it.
Click to Watch video clip of Dr K
If above link does not work, try https://www.cityline.tv/2020/03/18/anxiety-fear-surrounding-coronavirus/
