The whole world has been gripped amidst the fear of a pandemic. These unprecedented times have caused a lot of anxiety and fear amongst us. People are panicked and unsure of what the future holds, especially after seeing news of the pandemic unravel. We must keep our emotional wellbeing in the best possible state.
Anxiety helps us cope better with the pandemic, as it makes people stay at home or maintain social distance. So, we need to know how to manage our anxiety well. We need to prevent panic from taking us over and spreading it contagiously, amongst others. We need to limit screen time and maintain calm while engaging in our normal daily activities.
Laughter is always good medicine to combat anxiety. So why not spread light humour instead and spread laughter. There are many remedies you can try to calm your anxiety, such as CBD gummies. In this article, we shall discuss a few tips to combat anxiety and increase your emotional wellbeing.
Maintain Physical Safety
The easiest way to maintain your health is by physically distancing yourself from the virus. Your anxiety can be managed by keeping yourself safe. So, don’t forget to practice social distancing and hand-washing.
You need to ensure that you follow the guidelines of washing your hands for it to be effective. You need to clean the sides of all your fingers, the back of your hands, palms, nail beds, and the creases. And finally, you must wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
When it comes to distancing, always wear a mask when you are indoors with other people around. Maintain a six feet distance from other people.
Actively participating in these measures will ease your anxiety as you will feel empowered to keep yourself safe.
Limit Exposure to Social Media
You may have heard this recommendation many times, and the main reason behind it is that scrolling through social media and receiving news more actually increases your anxiety. Research suggests that your overall health and wellbeing suffers from repeated exposure to anxiety-inducing news. This exposure can cause post-traumatic stress disorder years later by receiving information and seeing visual images of a, particularly traumatic event.
So it’s a good idea to limit your exposure to news and updates regarding COVID-19. Twice a day should be enough, once in the morning and once before dinner. Also, it’s best not to read anything on COVID-19 before bedtime. Just for other people’s sake, don’t spread alarming news about COVID-19 on your feed that is visible to your family and friends.
Provide Warm And Comforting Social Support
In these crucial times, where you will keep getting concerning news from all over, getting warm and comforting support from someone near you means a lot. You can lend your emotional support to a loved one from a distance. You can use video chats, phone calls, text messages, and emails to let them know you are there for them and that they are loved. The best part about these mediums of social communication is that the resources are unlimited and cost very little.
You can also use these social mediums for other work purposes besides just providing social support. You can host a book club online and create a sense of being connected with many people simultaneously. You can talk about positive things to uplift your mood while you eat by hosting a dinner using Zoom or FaceTime.
Express Kindness And Compassion
You have to remember that you are not alone in this. People worldwide are experiencing the same anxieties as you, so just be extra kind to yourself. This pandemic has allowed all of us to emerge from this together by appreciating our interconnectedness. You can develop a feeling of collective wellbeing by helping others get through these challenging times. This will also give your days in isolation more purpose.
One other way you can help others is by donating blood if you are physically well. The American Red Cross faces a severe blood shortage caused by the coronavirus outbreak, resulting in cancellations of many blood drive events. If you are eligible and healthy enough to donate blood, please make an appointment to donate and ensure that patients have access to life-saving blood products.
Align Your Routines and Rituals
When you are anxious, your brain looks out for predictable and familiar activities to get our nervous system relaxed. You need to practice some good habits like going out each day to be more active while maintaining social distance and going to bed early. You need to remember that your thoughts, mood, and activity are linked very closely. So the best way to regulate your mood is to change your thoughts and try different activities.
Eat Healthily
It’s no secret that eating nutritious food helps keep our moods uplifted. When you are stressed out, your mind craves comfort food. You need to remember that packaged foods and fast foods increase anxiety and depression because of the blood sugar level fluctuations. So it’s better to stock your kitchen with whole foods, fresh produce, and frozen vegetables.
Try Working From Home
The trend of working from home has sky-rocketed since the pandemic took over. Many organizations have made it their new normal and have encouraged their workers to stay home and work remotely. This may be difficult for some of you, especially those who have kids in a small house. Your productivity may be slightly hampered due to trying to cope with the new environment of working.
You can choose a clutter-free and quiet area of your house and confine your workspace into it so that your job does not intrude in your personal space. You can use white noise to drown out any distracting noises from the environment. You need to set boundaries by defining exact work hours in the day for work and put away all your electronic devices used for work at the end of the day.
Try To Get Proper Sleep
One of the easiest ways to keep your immune system healthy is to get sufficient sleep. This also helps you mentally cope with this time of uncertainty. However, during the pandemic, these trying times can naturally cause trouble in falling asleep, disturbed sleep, and having trouble staying asleep. Feeling more tired than usual is not uncommon either.
Detach yourself from all COVID-related updates 1-2 hours before going to bed. Don’t drink caffeine after 2 pm, and stop drinking alcohol at least two hours before bedtime. Keep your circadian rhythm regulated by going to bed and waking up at the same time regularly. Create a soothing and calm environment in your bedroom.
Final Words
Getting through these difficult times requires a lot of patience and determination. You need to keep a cool head and practice the tips mentioned above to maintain your anxiety levels at a healthy level. So stay strong and have the confidence that you will be able to ride this pandemic successfully.
