It’s very natural to feel stressed out in this tough time. There are no men on this planet who don’t feel fear of an unpredictable future linked with the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’re worried whether we will catch somewhere the coronavirus and getting sick or died or losing our jobs. We are concerned about our children’s health, our parents, about paying bills, etc.
Do you Obsessively Check the News?
Every morning first thing the most of us do is to check out the news, with the hope we are going to find information like: “the new vaccine for COVID-19 is discovered”, or “finally successfully found medication for coronavirus”.
But for now, we read only frightening information, people are dying and the cases are growing, which makes us feel even worse than before. Besides, we’re overwhelmed with news about the economic recession, and we’re isolated from coworkers, friends, and family.
In these circumstances all of us are faced with a challenge to deal with anxiety, to stay calm in the center of this tornado, not allowing the situation to trough us from balance and make damage to our mental health.
Everyone on this planet needs to become aware without a doubt that we can win against COVID-19, as before with other diseases in history, but only with a focus on the cured cases (even elderly people) that are fully recovered.
In fact, our mental health is very vulnerable so we need as never before to stay aware of possible damage and every day wisely cope with anxiety and choоse what we are going to read, hear or watch.
Healthy Smart Life proposes to follow these simple steps which can help you to deal with your disturbances and stayed focused on the positive change in your personality: If something doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger.
Understanding Your Stress Level
We need a little stress in our lives because it helps us to prepare for facing the demands and challenges of our environment.
Stress motivates us, sharpens our attention and ability to assess our surroundings, and boosts our immune system due to the chain of rapidly occurring neurochemical and neuroelectrical reactions in the body.
But it’s given to be a short-term response to last for minutes or hours, not days and weeks. Our body can’t deal with the constant response to stress.
This may be contra-productive, and decrease immune system response to viruses and other kinds of invisible “enemies”. We don’t need stress and anxiety at a high level now.
Follow these 5 easy Ways to Deal with COVID-19 anxiety:
1. Limit reading internet news obsessively. Read them for only 15 minutes a day. Follow only reliable sources of information, such as the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and some well-known and proven doctors. Аvoid bombastic headings which use your fear only to earn money with clicking.
2. Take care of your health and those around you (children, parents). Sleep well for 7 hours a day, eat a home-prepared colorful meal with plenty of vegetables and fruits. Stay good hydrated, which means drinking at least 2 l of water. Find some videos on YouTube for exercise at home and work out with them. Even 5 minutes a day is better than nothing.
Try to reduce or eliminate alcohol and cigarettes.
3. At least 5 times a day take one really long deep breath — more than ten seconds — and try to exhale longer than you inhale. Express one thought of gratitude. Are you or your family healthy? Try to really feel it. Take time out for activities you enjoy. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as it takes you out of your worries.
4. No matter what’s happening, remember that you’re in control of your thoughts. Every morning your first thoughts try to be: “Everything will be fine, this will go away, most people recover with mild symptoms”. Repeat this for one minute. If something goes wrong remember that you are in charge of what will think and how will you react.
5. You are being asked to separate from the community, to keep a social distance. But, sometimes social isolation can lead to loneliness, which can have drastic effects on your mental and physical health. Be aware that separation doesn’t have to mean loneliness. Take this time to really connect with others. Tell them how valuable they are to you. Send messages to your friends or coworkers. Tell your family how much you love them. Make a list of people you want to call, to thank them for making a difference in your life. Do it today. Talk to everyone for whom you didn’t have time before.
STAY MENTALLY STRONG
Read next: Do this Stress Test and Find out Whether you Need Stress Relief Right Away
