How to reduce anxiety and protect the psyche during a coronavirus pandemic
'21.03.2020'
Source: Air force
For a month in a row because of the coronavirus epidemic, uncertainty reigns in the world, the news about the consequences of this scourge seems endless. The current situation cannot but affect the mental state of people, especially those who suffer from various mental disorders. How to protect your psyche? Tells Air force.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a number of recommendations that are very well received by experts and users of social networks.
Nicky Lidberg of AnxietyUK, a UK-based anxiety-related association, explains that fear of losing control and not coping with it is the root cause of many mental disorders, in particular anxiety.
“Anxiety begins with the fact that a person does not know what to expect, worries about the future and thinks that something is about to happen. These are the feelings that the coronavirus situation creates, ”agrees Rosie Whiterley of the charity Mind.
According to experts, people who have long been suffering from mental disorders need additional help these days, but absolutely everyone should take care of their condition.
Read less news and choose sources carefully.
The flow of news about coronavirus exacerbated the condition of Nick, the father of two children from Kent, who has long struggled with anxiety. Recently, Nick has been suffering from increased panic attacks.
“When anxiety rolls over me, my thoughts get out of hand, and I start thinking that a disaster is coming,” says Nick. He is very worried about his parents and other elderly family members who are at increased risk.
“Usually, when I start to feel bad, I abstract from the situation that is causing it, but now I have no control over anything,” explains Nick.
He helps for a long time not to read news on the Internet and in social networks. He also believes that the assistance that AnxietyUK provides to people in his situation is effective.
Limit the time you spend reading and viewing information that does not affect you positively. Check the news only at specific times.
Given the large number of fakes in the media space, get information only from trusted sources, such as government sites and national health sites.
Take a break from social networks and block everything that makes you worry
Alison from Manchester 24 years old. She is worried about her health and is sure that she should check the news all the time and learn as much as possible about the coronavirus. But at the same time, she knows that social networks can sow panic.
“A month ago I was looking for information on hashtags and saw how much unverified garbage on the network. I started to worry, felt a complete despair and cried, ”says Alison.
Now she is more selective in the choice of sources and no longer reads anything under the hashtags associated with the coronavirus. Alison temporarily abandoned social networks and TV and instead reads books.
Turn off notifications for keywords that will lead you into the thick of the discussion, block or unsubscribe from accounts that impose an unwanted topic on you.
Block WhatsApp groups, Facebook posts and any other source that makes you nervous.
On the subject: Knowledge instead of panic: simple and clear doctor's answers to questions about coronavirus
Wash your hands, but don't be too zealous
Repeated recommendations may be another trigger for exacerbating the condition in people with mental disorders. For example, in a coronavirus pandemic, this is a recommendation to wash your hands.
It is especially difficult for anxious sufferers to constantly hear this advice, it makes them worry.
For Lily Bailey, author of Because We Are Bad, about living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the constant fear of contamination and abnormal cleanliness led to mental illness.
According to her, constantly repeating advice to wash hands can cause a relapse in those who more or less coped with their deviations.
“It's very difficult because now I have to do what I have avoided for a long time. I follow the advice very clearly, but I find it difficult given that for me soap and disinfectants are akin to addiction, ”says Bailey.
For many people with OCD, freedom of movement, the ability to leave home is very important for improving their condition, she said, and self-isolation is another difficult test.
Chat with people
The number of people who find themselves in isolation will only grow, so check that you have correctly written down the phone numbers and email addresses of people close to you.
“Set up a time to inquire about each other’s well-being each day and be in touch with those around you,” advises Rosie Whiterley of the charity Mind.
If you find yourself in isolation, follow your usual routine, but try to make things different every day.
Do things that your hands did not reach, read a book for which there was not enough time. As a result, two weeks in isolation can be quite productive.
On the subject: How to work from home during quarantine and not go crazy
Avoid nervous exhaustion
We can expect another weeks or even months of a pandemic, and, according to experts from the organization Mind, it is very important to get out into the countryside and get as much sunlight as possible.
Go in for sports, eat well and drink enough water, experts say.
AnxietyUK gives the following recommendations:
- Try to recognize insecurity and anxiety as soon as they creep into your thoughts.
- Do nothing, do not fuss. Stop and make a deep entrance.
- Try to convince yourself that the thoughts and feelings that have visited you are temporary. Your assessment of the situation is subjective. Tell yourself that the anxiety will soon pass, do not let your condition develop.
- Focus on the moment, because right now, at this very minute, everything is fine.
- Concentrate on what you see, what you hear, what smells you feel. Then return your thoughts to what you were doing until the moment when the alarm crept in you, and continue your lesson.
