The fear of losing a job, losing money develops into constant anxiety. The inability to communicate with friends, talk with relatives makes stress unbearable. But we can help ourselves survive quarantine and even benefit from it, says psychotherapist Christine Hammond.
The epidemic and forced isolation became a heavy blow for Mary. Meeting friends always helped her to distract and relax, and now, when it became impossible to see and hug, she literally went crazy with stress.
The work stopped and it was not clear when it would be possible to return to it, and in the meantime, the deadline was approaching to pay a loan for a car and rent. Maria’s family lived very far away and could not help her in any way.
She despaired, it seemed to her that she could not cope, she was constantly tormented by anxiety. Although HR had assured her that she was not going to be fired, any reduction in income could be catastrophic for her.
Frequent bouts of anxiety began, which sometimes turned into panic about a possible future. Maria thought with horror how everything that was happening would affect her life, and the more she thought, the more she was afraid.
In desperation, she tried to find solace in alcohol. But he didn’t help either. The next day, suffering from a hangover, she realized that it was time to change something. Using her example, let’s see how you can effectively deal with anxiety when you are locked at home due to quarantine.
1. Meditîn. Try a five minute meditation. Close your eyes, try to breathe deeply and just watch how different thoughts arise and disappear. Don’t let any of them linger for long. “By meditating, you train your mind to weed out negative thoughts that cause anxiety,” explains psychotherapist Christine Hammond.
2. Bêhna xwe bidin. Often, anxiety comes from trying to do many things at once. Stop, choose one thing and focus only on it, putting aside everything else for a while. This will relieve excess tension and allow you to relax and calm down a bit.
3. Don’t rush. Try to deliberately do everything a little slower. It is important not to rush and not expose yourself to excessive stress. In the hectic pace of modern life, anxiety sometimes serves as a useful reminder to take your time and enjoy every second.
4. Kûr nefes bistînin. Deep breathing with the “belly” helps well to relieve tension at an alarming moment. “Try the exercise: inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, then exhale through your mouth for four seconds,” recommends Hammond.
By forcing your body to control the rhythm of your breathing, you can stop the panic that sets in and maintain your composure.
5. Bi hestên xwe bawer bikin. Anxiety often serves as a warning signal that something is not right. It is not always worth suppressing it completely, sometimes it is useful to carefully assess the situation and the situation and find what causes discomfort. If you managed to find the cause of your condition, you should trust your instincts and stay away from what worries you.
6. Rehet bibin. Telling yourself «I won’t worry» only makes your anxiety worse. Thinking about it, you feed it, not letting it fade away. It is much better to switch attention to something insignificant — for example, to the tactile sensations of shoes on your feet. Deprived of nourishment, anxiety will soon go away.
7. Outsmart anxiety. Our body is not able to distinguish anxiety from joyful emotional excitement. You can use this to fool her by telling yourself, «I’m just ecstatic.» This will help the brain stop the panic and give you the opportunity to pull yourself together.
8. Look away. When stress strikes, try shifting your gaze to something in the distance. This will help you switch and relax.
9. Warm up. “Often, anxiety lives in your body, and you don’t even notice it,” the author recalls. Listen to yourself, feel where bodily tension has accumulated, and do a couple of warm-up exercises. By the way, quarantine is a great reason to start doing yoga.
10. Get some air. “Contact with nature is the best cure for sensory overload, which is especially prone to those who spend too much time in four walls,” Hammond recalls.
If quarantine conditions allow, go for a walk with the dog in the yard. Admire the trees, the lawn, the flowers. Fresh air helps to get rid of the accumulated nervous tension.
Put a chair on the balcony and sit, just watching the birds and enjoying the sun or the rain. Open the windows, look at the trees and the sky. And if possible, go to the country and take a walk near the house.
11. Make yourself a cold drink. There is a good way to quickly deal with anxiety — to drink something cold (non-alcoholic) in one gulp. The sharp cold will distract from disturbing thoughts. A large glass of ice water works well — it is refreshing and instantly stops an anxiety attack.
12. Select an object to observe. Start watching something extraneous that is out of your control — a bird flying or a squirrel climbing a tree, a spinning fan, a flashing light bulb, dripping water. Observing everyday things that you have no control over can help relieve the feeling of helplessness.
13. Listen to your feelings. Sometimes anxiety hides other emotions that we avoid. Listen to yourself and try to understand if there is a deeper reason for anxiety. Finding it, you can solve the problem once and for all.
14. Embrace anxiety. Instead of fighting it, accept it. Moderate anxiety is normal, healthy, and can sometimes even be productive. See it as something temporary that comes and goes. “Often, if you just let the anxiety be, it will go away twice as fast,” says Kristin Hammond.
15. Feel gratitude. In a state of intense anxiety, feeling grateful can help reduce stress. The reason for gratitude can be anything — a warm sunny day, a beautiful picture, comfort and safety at home.
When you begin to enjoy life in all its manifestations more, anxiety subsides and overall well-being improves markedly. Thanks to the fact that Maria learned to control her, the level of stress hormones decreased, even despite the uncertainty with work.
Li ser nivîskar: Kristin Hammond psîkoterapîstek e.