Coronavirus Anxiety: Coping with Stress During the Pandemic
With all the uncertainty and isolation of the coronavirus pandemic, when there is a lot of fear and panic around us, it is important to talk about the feelings of anxiety.
The majority of people who are reading this article have probably experienced or are aware about the feeling of anxiety. If the news or social media have made you feel more anxious than normal, you are not alone. According to the recent research published in May of 2020 by the U.S. Census Bureau, 34.4% of 42,000 households said that they experienced symptoms of anxiety disorder, while 30% reported symptoms of anxiety.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is our reaction to stressful, dangerous or unfamiliar situations. All our reactions to anxiety- mental, physical, and behavioral – are aimed at getting the organism prepared for immediate action to protect it. On the mental plane, it is a feeling of nervousness, worry or distress that you feel before an important event. Sweating, breathlessness, and palpitations would be the physical response to anxiety. Behaviorally, you might start to pace or tap your foot or avoid the situation all together.
We feel anxious when we do not have enough knowledge or details about a particular subject or environment. For example, you are going to a job interview, you don’t have any details whether a potential employer likes you or not, you don’t know what kind of questions you will end up receiving. All of this creates an internal mental process with a lot of room for your thoughts and beliefs. The thoughts and fantasies about what’s going to happen during the interview can be the reasons behind your anxiety as they fall into place of /step into the unknown and uncertainty.
A certain level of anxiety is normal and even beneficial because it helps us stay aware and alert to a potentially dangerous situations. Some people find it possible to tolerate some degree of discomfort and can handle their anxiety in a healthy way.
For others, anxiety can be a problem. This type of anxiety tends to be chronic and irrational. The feelings of anxiety can be so intense that it might start to interfere with life functions.
Where does anxiety come from?
The symptoms of anxiety come from your autonomic nervous system
The autonomic system has two branches called the sympathetic system and parasympathetic system. The sympathetic system is your fight or flight system which releases energy and gets your body ready for action. The activity sympathetic system is what produces an increased heart rate, increase in the speed of breathing, sweating, heavy feeling in the stomach, muscle tension and dry mouth. Overall, the fight or flight response activates the whole body metabolism. The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is the restoring system, which turns your body back to normal state
Symptoms of anxiety
Common symptoms of anxiety are:
- Restlessness
- Feeling nervous
- Increased heart rate
- Increased breathing
- Headache
- Chest tightness
- Sweating
- Aggression
- Dry mouth
- Muscle tension
- Constipation
- Nausea or heavy feeling in the stomach
- Upset stomach
- Trouble concentrating or dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Hot flushes
- Panic attacks
- Feeling weak or tired
- Trouble sleeping
- Avoiding things that trigger anxiety
How to deal with anxiety during the times of COVOD-19?
1. Understand that anxiety is normal.
Try to understand where your feelings are coming from, and your mind and body reactions to those feelings. Journaling can help you to identify when anxiety starts, some of the triggers of your anxiety and your body’s responses. Be mindful that once the danger has gone, many of the body reactions or changes can sometimes continue, almost with a mind of their own.
2. Stay informed
It’s important to select credible sources that can keep you informed about what is happening in Florida or, in particular, in your community, and follow the safety precautions that have been published. You may want to check out these reputable sources – the CDC, The Florida Department of Health, Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami.
Checking various news obsessively can get overwhelming and can worsen your anxiety, especially if anxiety is your ongoing issue.
3. Consider taking a media break.
If looking at the news or social media makes you feel more distressed without helping you take better precautions, try to step away from media or limit how often you check for updates. Fears that people feel around COVID-19 may come from inaccurate or overly sensational new, and that won’t be helping you to deal your situation.
4. Take care of your body and mind
Try to regain control and relieve your anxiety by practicing self-care and taking time to do activities that you enjoy. You might want to cook a healthy meal, read a good book, or draw a piece of art.
Find ways to incorporate exercising. There are plenty of videos you can follow online or through a fitness studios via live-streaming workout classes. Getting out in nature for a walk, hike or cycle can also be a great way to stay active.
If you are looking for something less strenuous, relaxation techniques such as as deep breathing, meditation, yoga can help you to release anxiety, relieve stress, and manage your mood. Remember that physical activity delivers greatest benefits when done on regular basis.
5. Get help
If you feel like your anxiety interferes with your everyday life – for example:
- You can’t think about anything other than coronavirus or getting sick with COVID-19
- You have a hard time going to work or being in public spaces even when the risk is low.
- You isolate yourself from others when it’s not necessary
- You feel hopeless or angry about the situation
- You have not been eating well or getting enough sleep
- You get frequent physical symptoms like headaches, upset stomach, constipation, trouble concentrating
Get extra help and support from a licensed medical professional if you experience any of the above signs and symptoms of anxiety. Book your on-line medical appointment to discuss available treatments.