How I'm managing my anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic

If you're familiar with my blog, or follow me on social media, you'll know that I have been struggling with anxiety for some time now. Things improved quite a lot after starting sertraline before Christmas, but I still have bad days/weeks where things get on top of me. 

Unsurprisingly, the spread of COVID-19 has really increased my anxiety for over the past week, as much as I have tried to resist it. 

Quite a few people have said to me "It only affects old people and the kids will be fine". Great. But I happen to care about older people, too! My main fear is not about me, A, or the kids getting it, but others that I love that are more physically vulnerable. A huge source of my anxiety is other people's complacency - on the Metro to work yesterday I saw several people cough openly, not covering their mouth, without a care in the world. Terrifying. 

Yesterday, when I realised I was actually having pains in my chest from worrying, I made a plan. My husband has been great - instead of dismissing me and telling me I was being silly, he recognised this was an anxiety thing and I needed support through it. 

So here's what I'm doing - have a read and feel free to steal any you think might help you too. 

Disclosure

I told A honestly how I was feeling, acknowledging the worry and letting him know what specifically it was I was so anxious about. I know he is nowhere near as worried as I am, so I expected him to make me feel silly for it. He didn't, he simply asked what WE could do to help. We talked about some practical things that could help us to prepare in case we get stuck at home and we also thought about what other things might help me to relax

Prepare

Today I've been and bought a few extra bits and pieces (NOT bulk/panic buying) like some fresh fruit & veg, tinned fruit & veg, paracetamol and some cleaning products. Many shelves are empty of paracetamol currently and, as someone that relies on this daily for chronic pain, I feel no guilt in buying a couple of extra boxes. 

Fresh air

My little shopping trip was very stressful - the shops were very busy for a Friday morning and people were clearly tense. Afterwards, I took the long way home through the park and took some big, deep breaths of fresh air. 

Yoga

When I'm in full fight or flight mode I tense my whole body, which usually results in some serious aching later. Yoga forces me to release the tension and stretch out my body. You can get great online videos - Yoga with Adriene is my favourite and she has lots of videos for particular ailments including stress. 

Reading 

I am a true bookworm and love getting lost in a story. When I'm really anxious or down I tend to reach for children's/young adult's books as they don't require much brain power. Enid Blyton is my favourite, for the sheer escapism. 

Mindful mundane activities

This is one I picked up when I did a course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy last year. The premise is that while doing an everyday activity, such as washing the dishes or making a cup of tea, you try to fully concentrate on the task you are performing. If your brain wanders, you acknowledge it and bring it back to the activity. This is designed to interrupt unhelpful thoughts and worries. It's quite tricky at first, but gets easier with practice. 

 

Avoiding fake news

I work in communications, so knowing what's going on in the world and spending time on social media are part of my job. Outside of work hours I'm trying to limit my consumption, so I don't get overloading with conflicting reports/advice.

Rest

This is a tricky one for me, but I'm trying to avoid getting too exhausted as tiredness always makes my anxiety worse. Today when Sophie napped I forced myself to make a cuppa and sit down for one whole episode of The Stranger. 

Hugging 

There is nothing better than a squishy hug from the kids or a reassuring hug from A to make me feel a little better. 

This is just my personal strategy, but I hope it helps you think about looking after your wellbeing at this stressful time. 

Take care.

Sam x