Effective Ways Of Coping With Covid Anxiety
15
JANUARY, 2021
Covid, lockdown, quarantine, social distancing, Coronavirus, self-isolation. This time last year, most of those words and phrases were unheard of. Yet for us now, we’re sick to the back teeth of hearing about them and the whole situation.
The situation we’re referring to is the global pandemic brought on by the new strain of Coronavirus known as Covid-19.
Since the WHO declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic, lockdowns and quarantines became the norm across the globe. With millions of us forced to stay at home, not see our loved ones, barely socialize, and watch as our livelihoods were threatened from an economic perspective, it’s easy to see why so many people are struggling mentally less than a year later.
Studies have found that as many as one third of all adults currently suffer with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, and thanks to the pandemic and lockdowns, that number only looks set to increase.
If you’re dealing with what is known as Covid anxiety, and are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, here are several tips for coping with Covid anxiety.
1. Try to avoid watching the news
When it comes to dealing with anxiety, one of the most effective strategies you can incorporate into your daily routine is to practice mindfulness.
It doesn’t matter whether or not your anxiety is caused by Covid, lockdowns, past trauma, or anything else, one of the most effective coping strategies for anxiety is mindfulness.
Mindfulness therapies have been used to treat and manage anxiety and other related health issues for a number of decades now, and for good reason. These techniques include things such as meditation, practising gratitude, breathing exercises, and just living in the moment and being aware of your surroundings.
One of the main traits of anxiety sufferers is living in the future and worrying about what might happen. When we worry about what could happen, we miss out on all of the good things which are happening right now.
2. Stay connected with people you care about
One of the worst things about the global pandemic still affecting us now is the fact that so many of us have been forced to spend so much time away from our loved ones and people we care about.
Lockdowns have prevented us from socializing, and then there are health reasons which could mean that elderly relatives or people in poor health are forced to shield and isolate themselves away to ensure that they don’t catch the virus.
Human beings are social creatures, even those of us who would be considered as ‘introverts’ and we crave company and socialisation in some form or another. If you are unable to physically see your friends or family members, make sure you stay connected digitally.
Whether it’s via phone calls, group chats, messages, video calling, texting, or anything else for that matter, make sure you stay connected with those that you care about.
3. Learn the facts
Sometimes in life, it is important to face our fears head on in order to get over them and move on.
It’s no use burying your head in the sand and hoping that the pandemic will just go away because it won’t. We need to do our part to help the pandemic go away, and that is precisely what we’re going to be doing.
To help ease your Covid anxiety, face your fears head on, stop burying your head in the sand and learn the facts. Knowledge is power, and the more we know about something and the more we understand it, the easier we will find it to address it and deal with it.
It is important here, to learn the facts and to separate facts from fiction, which is why we recommend avoiding a lot of mainstream media, and taking anything that you read on social media with a very liberal pinch of salt.
4. Try to identify the cause of your anxiety
One of the worst things about anxiety is the fact that it can strike without warning, it can affect your logical thinking, and sometimes it can strike even though there are no obvious warning signs.
If you are able to identify the cause of your anxiety, though, you can then address this head on and ensure that it doesn’t happen again. If for example, watching the news tends to set your anxiety off, if you can identify this you will know not to watch the news again.
It isn’t just the media, obviously, as any number of things can trigger an anxiety or panic attack. Whether it’s a specific person, a certain noise, a certain sound, smell, or anything else for that matter, if you can identify the fact that it is causing you anxiety, you can take the necessary steps to ensure that you prevent it from happening in the future.
5. Never be afraid to ask for help
We are now living in an age in which people are finally realizing that it is okay not to be okay and that asking for help doesn’t make you weak, it in fact makes you stronger.
If you are being affected by anxiety, be it Covid-related or not, one of the best things you can do is speak out and ask for help.
You could speak to a friend, family member, or loved one, or alternatively you could speak to trained experts or even a support group online and vent your worries to complete strangers.
Sometimes when speaking to others, all we need is a little reassurance. If for example, you have a trip planned but are concerned about whether or not it will be safe being around other people, air your concerns to another person and ask for their opinion on the matter. You don’t need to do what they say of course, but sometimes hearing it from other people can help to put our minds at ease and alleviate our concerns.
6. Do whatever it is that helps your anxiety to subside
The main thing about this pandemic is the fact that it is so new for all of us, so none of us really know how to react, what to do for the best, or what is going to happen next.
We all deal with threats and dangers in different ways, and as a result of this everybody is handling the pandemic in their own way and are utilizing their own coping strategies.
If you’re concerned about contracting the virus on your groceries for example, if you wish to disinfect your groceries before putting them away then go right ahead and do exactly that.
If you feel that staying 3 meters away from other people will help ease your anxiety, forget what anybody else says, forget about perceptions of overreacting and instead stay 3 meters away from people.
If you want to take a warm bath and sit in your bed in the evening watching Netflix or reading a book because it takes your mind off of current events, if it helps ease your Covid anxieties there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that.
7. Consider managing your anxiety with Kratom
Finally, over the last year or so, the number of people supplementing with Kratom has increased dramatically, and that’s not a coincidence.
Kratom can help to reduce pain and discomfort, it can promote cognitive function, it can help to manage stress and depression, and it has also been found to significantly reduce anxiety in users.
If you decide utilize kratom via aromatherapy, be sure to purchase it from a licenced and reputable dispensary just like Kratom Sensation. Buying your kratom from a licensed, qualified, and reputable shop is vital, not only for your well-being, but also for ensuring that the kratom you purchase is of the best quality.
If Covid-19 has you constantly on edge, utilizing kratom could be the ideal solution.
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