Managing anxiety in the anxious world of COVID-19
Understanding the facts about COVID-19 prevention is important and we encourage you to continue following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the World Health Organization.
The AMITA Health Behavioral Medicine Institute believes strategies to manage anxiety are critical to our physical health, mental health and general well-being. Managing one's reaction to stressors, such as COVID-19, is no easy task. To help you stay "anchored in the present," we recommend the following:
• Manage your information intake: Take breaks from constant exposure to the news and social media. It's allowed.
• Focus on what you can control, let go of what you can't. Washing your hands, staying at home as much as you can and spending time with your family are all things within your control.
• Skip safety behaviors: A "safety behavior" is an action intended to make you feel safer but doesn't actually make you safer. A coronavirus example is hoarding bottled water and toilet paper. Typically, these behaviors trigger heightened anxiety rather than lower it.
• Stay connected: Keep in touch with family and friends via social media and phone calls. Have you tried a "Zoom party" yet?
• Stick to a routine: Even if you are self-quarantined, structure can be crucial to managing anxiety. Schedule time to exercise, go outside, read that book you always wanted to read. Pair your routine with consistent bedtime and wake time.
• Practice mindful emotion awareness: Anxiety often leads us to worry about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future. This tends to make us feel worse. Focusing on the present makes the situation more manageable.
Just a few minutes of daily meditation, yoga or mindfulness will help reduce your anxiety. We suggest the following anchoring steps:
1. Focus on your breathing.
2. Observe what you are thinking, your physical sensations and your behavior.
3. Ask yourself if your thoughts and behaviors are consistent with what is happening now, rather than focused on the past or future.
• Rethink your thinking: Some anxiety and worry about COVID-19 and the economic situation is certainly warranted. Fighting this feeling is a bit like being in quicksand; the more you struggle, the more stuck you get. Instead, see if there are other ways you could think about the situation. Instead of "I will go stir crazy staying home for two weeks," think "This gives me a chance to accomplish tasks I would never otherwise get to."
• Be kind to yourself: Try not to be self-critical or judgmental. And if you need help, it's strength, not weakness, to ask for it. Get support from those around you and don't hesitate to contact a therapist.
For information on managing your anxiety or the AMITA Health Behavioral Medicine Institute's continuum of resources, call (844) 366-0618.
• Clifton "Cliff" Saper, Ph.D., is the lead clinical psychologist with the AMITA Health Behavioral Medicine Institute. Dr. Saper specializes in clinical training, crisis response, and individual, family and group therapy.