Tips to help with anxiety through corona virus pandemic
I'm concerned that a major part of this pandemic is not being addressed enough and that is the state of people's mental health. Seeing first hand how people have responded over the last week or so tells me clearly that we need to be putting in place measures that look after our mental health right now just as much as our immune system health.
Here are a few simple suggestions that may help if you're feeling a bit more stressed or anxious than usual.
1. Try some Meditation. Surprise. Surprise. Of course I’m going to recommend this and if you haven't tried meditation before, now's the time. Why? Because it's something that you can do by yourself any time, anywhere. It’s proven to help with anxiety and make you feel calmer in stressful situations. Making it something we can all do and that will help right now.
2. Spend time in nature if you can. Sure we need to be mindful of where we go and what we do right now but completely locking yourself indoors can have mental repercussions, like increased levels of worry or anxiety. Isolation can often lead to incestuous thinking and paranoia (ever heard of cabin fever?). Think of a few places around your home that are very open, where you can immerse yourself in nature. National parks are a perfect example. Plenty of space and where all of lifes natural healing elements can be absorbed.
2. There's still so much to be grateful for. Practicing gratitude in times like this can really be helpful. It pulls the brain out of worry & anxiety and forces it to think of something that is good and present, right here, right now. Think about the fact that you have supportive, great friends around you, a loving family, maybe the fact that we now have the ability to be informed almost in real-time of how we deal with serious issues like the one we are facing right now. These are all blessings and reminding yourself of them right now will help.
4. Support your friends and family. It mightn't be able to spend time catch up with them face-to-face. But it's a perfect time to pick up the phone to call or send a msg to your loved ones and check-in to see how they are doing. A simple chat with someone close to you can do wonders to how your feeling and may also give them an opportunity to express how they're feeling. We're all in this together and the more patience and compassion we can show to each other, the better.