There are many different ways to deal with the anxiety that most of us are currently feeling due to the ongoing events around the world. This pandemic is affecting all of us in different ways and it is important to understand how to combat these anxieties. Those who have dealt with anxiety for their lives or for long periods already may already know how to combat but for those who have never dealt with this level of anxiety, learning ways to handle it in healthy ways is vital for your current mental health and the after-effects that this pandemic will have for most of us. Here are seven ways you can take a healthy approach to this anxiety.
Talk to Someone
The first thing to remember when dealing with any type of anxiety is to have someone to talk to. Right now, most of the world is thankfully participating in social distancing. This means that you are either with family or alone if you are living away from family at this time. Either way now is a time to be extremely thankful for the technology that we have to be able to reach out to loved ones at this time to talk to when we are feeling anxious about the current world climate we are experiencing. Having someone to vent to or communicate with can help anyone feel a tad less alone during a time when that feeling is a common occurrence. It is important to talk to people who you trust about how you are feeling so that you do not end up dealing with unresolved emotions in unhealthy ways.
The Present
Focus on the present. Yes, the world is in a pandemic, the future is uncertain and during these times you may find yourself wishing that you did more in the past to prepare for such events. Thinking about either the past or the future is merely a matter of wasted energy that will do nothing to ease your current emotions. A form of healing anxieties is to focus on smaller amounts of time instead of larger expanses. If you focus on your tasks one day at a time you are more likely to be able to handle your usual routine even under these circumstances. Right now with everything the world is undergoing, we must all come together to take each and every day one at a time.
Take a Time Out
Allow yourself to take time out. In the busyness of our usual lives, most of us tend to run on autopilot. During this time, allow yourself to take breaks in order to better take care of your own mental health. Go outside, take yourself, your family or even a pet for a walk out in the fresh air while still maintaining your own social distancing. If you want to do some inside self-care, then take on some arts and crafts or bake something from scratch with your family. Tether your connections to the world and the things that make you happy again. Be still, and know that it is okay not to be one hundred percent productive all the time when the world is going through a pandemic.
Journal
Journaling is an amazing way to handle your anxiety. Journaling is a way that most often people find it easier to work out their feelings. When you take the time to sit with your own thoughts and write them down, you will be able to work through your emotions and know how to handle them in a healthy manner. Putting things down on paper is a good way to see things in a visual manner rather than emotions that can seem mangled in your own mind. When you take the time to sit down with yourself and write down your thoughts and feelings from the day, you become more self-aware of your own emotions. This allows you to work through them rather than keep them bottled up inside.
Stay Positive
Challenge your thoughts to stay positive even when it may not be the easiest option. When you challenge your mind to control your thoughts and stay away from the tendency to think negatively at times like this, you can make a difference for your own mental health. When anxieties begin to arise in your mind, ask yourself whether or not the circumstances are in your control. If they are not, then allow yourself to move on and accept the things that you cannot change. Meditation is a great practice that you can use to become in tune with your thoughts and calm your frequently running mind throughout the day.
Exercise
Exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy and happy people do not get anxiety as often as most other people. Even stretching yourself to incorporate thirty minutes of movement into your daily routine whether that would be taking a brisk walk or taking part in an online yoga or Zumba class. When we are forced to work from home and change most of our daily routine, we can find ourselves lost in the mundane of it all. This is why it is important to get up and get moving throughout the day.
Sleep
Proper rest is also an important way to combat anxiety. When you allow yourself to get the proper rest that you need you are more refreshed and in a better overall state of mind. The average amount of time that you should spend sleeping a night should be a goal of eight hours. By getting eight hours of sleep, you are in the best position to manage your anxiety.
Conclusion
These are simply some of the ways that you can manage your anxiety. When you learn tips and tricks to manage your anxiety, you are learning how to properly manage your own mental health. Managing your mental health in a time such as the one we are experiencing now is extremely important. Mental health is crucial to our overall health and should be just as important to us. It is our hope that these seven ways to combat stress and anxiety are able to help you stay more relaxed and calm at home during this time.