Anxiety affects all of us in different ways. For some, anxiety is crippling their daily activities to the point where it’s difficult for them to suppress their fears and worries. For others, stress comes and goes depending on their situations. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic worsened anxiety in some individuals. With the uncertainty of when life will gain some normalcy and family members close to us at risk or already contracting coronavirus, anxiety levels are high. It may seem there is no way to escape anxiety. However, there are methods for taming stress. Listed below are three methods for taming anxiety during and post COVID-19.
Firefighters often tell people to stop, drop and roll if they, unfortunately, catch on fire. The same principle can be applied to stress. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, and stress doesn’t stop accumulating, stop and drop everything you’re doing. Take some deep breaths in and deep breaths out. Track your breathing to ensure you are using the full range of motion. The quicker you breathe, the less it helps decrease your anxiety. Why does focusing on breathing lower your stress and anxiety levels? Our bodies can recognize if there is an actual physical attack on ourselves. Once you begin to breathe and your body recognizes there is no immediate attack, the body starts to relax. There are plenty of apps on Google Play and the App Store that guide your breathing determined by your stress levels.
Schedule a non-screen time:
Technology is wonderful. It allows us to connect with others in ways that didn’t exist before and gain information about current events. Unfortunately, news, coupled with social media, has a detrimental effect on your mental health. Silencing notifications won’t help you from impulsively checking social media apps and other notifications that can increase your thoughts of negativity. Scheduling a non-screen time allows you to focus on the present. See, anxiety frequently is caused by worrying or fearing about the future. Living in the present increases your motivation and satisfaction in the long-term.