Anxiety and coronavirus: 5 basic tips to feel better

Although we may not realize it, our psychological state is always influenced by what happens around us: emotions do not arise in a vacuum or are born spontaneously in us.

That is why when a radical change occurs in our surroundings, our emotions and psychological dispositions also change, whether we want it or not. And, of course, the global pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is a change that has shaken the foundations of our society. As a consequence, this virus has not only had an impact on the economy, politics and even our mobility: it has also had it on our minds.

In this article we will see some ideas, tips and recommendations for know how to deal with the anxiety produced by the coronavirus pandemic, since this psychological state is one of the most frequent among those who see their life limited or even compromised for the risk of COVID-19 (the coronavirus disease) and for the measures that governments are taking to put it Brake.

• Related article: "The 7 types of anxiety (characteristics, causes and symptoms)"

Key Ideas for Coping with Coronavirus Anxiety

Given the situation of confinement at home that many people are going through due to the coronavirus, it is normal to feel anxiety. However, it is not an inevitable problem, because we can take control of the situation so that it does not affect us psychologically in a very negative way. Let's see some tips on this.

1. Don't obsess over information

You have to be very selective with the information: when it comes to health issues, more than ever, quality is more important than quantity. You have to control the desire to know absolutely everything about the virus so as not to enter a spiral of hypochondria, that is, constant fear and suspicion of seeing symptoms of the disease all the time.

2. Sleep well and eat well

When we radically change our habits, it is easy to fall into harmful habits for our body, such as sleeping little and eating poorly. This generates wear and tear on our body, which at the same time predisposes us to suffer anxiety and low mood; That is why by taking care of these aspects of daily life we ​​will be protecting ourselves against anxiety.

• You may be interested: "Why is toilet paper running out in the face of the pandemic?"

3. Keep your mind active

That we cannot move a lot to avoid the risk of contagion does not mean that our mind must also remain still. In fact, the opposite is the case.

The reason for this is the following: whether we want it or not, Most likely, in situations where we are forced to give up many of our habits, let us fall into the trap of psychological rumination: focusing our attention on distressing thoughts about what is happening or what could happen, and constantly mulling over those ideas, giving them more and more can.

Since whatever we do our mind is going to be very active, it is best to make sure that it is something beneficial for us, instead of becoming obsessions. Therefore, to keep anxiety at bay it is recommended immerse yourself in tasks that absorb our attention, that are stimulating to us and have the ability to interest us: read a book that we have pending, draw, dance, etc.

4. Set schedules

Procrastination, or the tendency to leave everything for later, is a phenomenon to which we are more exposed when we spend a lot of time at home, and that leads us to live in a disorganized way and exposed to anxiety situations: For example, it is what happens when we have been watching videos on the Internet for a long time and when night comes we realize that we have barely studied for an exam.

For it, It is important to structure the day to day and set schedules that act as temporary references. If necessary, we can also use alarms and reminders.

5. In case of need, online therapy

Sometimes you need professional help. Fortunately, even in situations where you have to stay at home to avoid contagion, it is possible to attend psychology consultations through online therapy. Mental health professionals are trained to attend through video call sessions in which it is possible to obtain all the benefits of face-to-face psychotherapy, although in this case remotely and via the Internet: the only fundamental difference is the communication channel.

Our psychotherapy center, El Prado Psychologists, offers online therapy to all types of patients; We will be happy to assist you to treat anxiety due to confinement or in any other way of psychological discomfort that affects you: depression, relationship problems, low self-esteem, impulsivity, etc.

Conclution

With the spread of the coronavirus comes the need to adapt to a problem that is economic and health, but also psychological.

For this reason, there are many recommended habits that you can put into practice day by day to protect yourself from anguish and thoughts that they generate anxiety, and also, even if they are not enough to maintain emotional harmony, you can always resort to therapy on-line. We cannot make the virus disappear, but we can do a lot to ensure our psychological well-being: let's take advantage of it.

Bibliographic references:

• Stephan WG, Stephan CW (1985). Intergroup Anxiety. Journal of Social Issues.
• Nestadt, G.; Samuels, J.; Riddle, M.A.; Liang, K.I. et.al. (2001). The relationship between obsessive – compulsive disorder and anxiety and affective disorders: results from the Johns Hopkins OCD Family Study. Psychological Medicine 31.
• Warwick, H. M. C. (1989). A cognitive-Behavioral Approach to Hypochondriasis and Health Anxiety. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 33 (6), 705-711.