Coping During Times Of Stress
There’s a lot to be worried about these days. Now that the novelty of self-isolation has worn off and the reality has sunk in, it may be time to go back to basics. Here are some tips for focusing on self-care.
Scale back.
It’s tempting to see this as an opportunity to clean out your closets, finish those to-do lists, and maybe even learn another language. Hey, if that feels good to you, by all means, do it all. But if it doesn’t, that’s ok. This is a stressful, uncertain, and overwhelming time in our lives. Don’t feel like you’re failing if all you can do is make it through the day.
Exercise.
Working from home is tough at the best of times, and you might really be feeling the change in your routine. Stick with those healthy habits by working your exercise routine into your day. This might not be the time to focus on losing those extra 10 pounds, but that doesn’t mean that you need to be sedentary either. Lots of gyms are offering online classes for a reasonable price, or think about trying something new like yoga or bootcamp. Get your heart rate up and you will feel better!
Eat well.
Those chips and all that baking seem like a good idea now. But when you go to put “real” clothes back on again, you might not be so happy with your choices. There’s room for “sometime” food in everyone’s diet; just make sure that “sometime” isn’t “every time.”
Stay connected.
This situation has really driven home just how much we need others in our lives. Being physically isolated doesn’t mean we also have to be socially isolated. So many of us reconnected with family and friends in the first few weeks of being home; don’t give up on that now! Although digital connection may have lost some of its allure lately, since it’s the only form of connection right now, we are still very lucky to be able to have the ability to see who we’re talking to. Keep reaching out.
Find something else to talk about.
COVID-19 is on all of our minds. We’re all worried and unsure and anxious. And when we are faced with ambiguity, we humans like to try to impose some order on the chaos by reading as much as we can and trying to guess what will come next. Don’t. When you connect with those friends and loved ones, find something else to talk about. We can’t have anything on our minds 24/7, and this situation is no different. Give yourself permission to focus on something – anything – else for most of your day and most of your conversations. Thinking and talking about the pandemic, to the exclusion of anything else, will most certainly drive your stress level up. Be on the alert for other topics of conversation.
More ideas:
How To Cope With The Stress Of Coronavirus in Experience Life magazine
A podcast on Sleeping During Stressful Times, also from Experience Life
The CDC has some tips on Stress And Coping
Anxiety Canada also has articles and recordings of Town Hall meetings on their Coping With COVID-19 page
Calm has an extensive library of mindfulness meditations, including a page specifically devoted to coping with pandemic stress
And an article on my blog about Kids And Stress. They’re feeling it, too.