First Pandemic, Kind of Anxious
Dealing with anxiety in your regular day to day life is one thing; but, having to deal with it when life is flipped upside down, is a recipe for disaster. These past few months have just seemed like an emotional roller coaster that has gone off the rails. In addition to trying to adjust to life during a pandemic and navigating through heightened racial tensions, we’re also still left to deal with stressors in our daily routines. At times, this can be incredibly overwhelming. I’m the type of person that always likes to have a plan or routine in the midst of a chaotic situation. I like to take control of a situation so that my brain is able to process with as limited stress as possible. Life before COVID-19, I felt like I was pretty successful with this method. Life during COVID-19, has been the complete opposite.
I’m not going to lie, my anxiety has been kicking my behind lately. Pre-Covid, it was so easy to treat myself to a night out, or buy tickets to see a concert or a broadway show to at least take my mind off of things for a bit. Now, we have to face our anxiety and stress head on. A lot of the ways some of us have used to cope with our anxiety are not as accessible anymore because of this new reality that we are living in. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when it comes to dealing with this sort of thing; so, I decided to write about some of the coping methods I’ve been using to help me deal with my anxiety.
Set One Thing Each Day to Look Forward To.
Honestly, this can be a little difficult if you hardly leave the house. Personally, I don’t go many places outside of the grocery store, and to my grandma’s house. I’ve also been working from home since March, so I don’t necessarily have a need to be out. Because I’m so limited on what activities I actually partake in because of the pandemic, I had to get a little creative with giving myself something to look forward to. Sometimes it’s planning a movie night or starting a new series. Sometimes it’s trying a new recipe or waiting on a new package to arrive. I also like to treat myself to takeout once a week just because I get tired of cooking, so I definitely look forward to that haha. Although these things seem minor, they somehow provide me with a sense of knowing that I have at least one bright spot in my day.
Put Focus on Health and Wellness.
At the top of the year, I made it a priority to get back in the gym and work out on a consistent basis. Over the course of about 2 months, I had gotten into a good rhythm; and then, COVID-19 struck. I was so upset, but the reality of the situation was, that I had no plans on going to the gym with a whole pandemic out here. I will admit that I haven’t been as active as I’d like to be throughout lockdown however, I’ve definitely focused on other aspects of a healthy lifestyle. I don’t have the strongest immune system, and I get sick more times out of the year than the average person. During lockdown, I put more of an effort towards taking my vitamins properly and drinking more teas. I also increased my fruit and veggie intake. I already love fruits and vegetables, but I became more intentional with incorporating them in at least two meals a day. I’ve noticed weight loss, and a decrease in my mood swings. Another thing that I have to mention, is that I’ve started getting deep tissue massages. In addition to it helping to relive stress and tension, it also has so many health benefits that lead to an overall better quality of life. I have permanent injuries from the military, and the relief that it provides me is unmatched.
Escape With a Hobby.
This is probably the most obvious way to relieve stress. When you’re on the move so much, it’s easy to neglect some of the simpler things that bring you so much joy. Now that things have slowed down a lot for some of us, it’s easy to kind of fall back in love with some of those things. I actually have started back reading and purchasing books. I’ve even set a goal to complete 10 books this year! I also have gotten back into my writing. A part of getting back into it has shown me how emotional I can get sometimes when I’m pouring my heart out. In fact, the reason why this post is so late is because I kept debating which angle I wanted to attack it from. I decided to choose a more relatable route, and I look forward to releasing more diverse content on my site as the year goes on. Writing is a hobby, but it is also a form of therapy so sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between which approach I want to take. Thank goodness for a journal!
Lean On Your Support System.
During these trying times, we have to lean on our support systems more than ever. Living through this pandemic has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’ve dealt with some situations that were extremely overbearing to the point where I couldn’t mentally or physically handle them alone. I’ll admit, I’m so used to trying to be strong to prevent dealing with certain emotions or anxiety building up. It never ends well haha. One of my biggest takeaways I’ve gained over these past couple of months is that it is okay to not always be strong. It’s okay to vent, cry, or even just reach out to someone before your emotions spiral out of control. I’ve made progress over these last couple of months, but I definitely have a lot of room for improvement.
Be Intentional With Your Healing
I have to literally wake up and choose to be optimistic at a time where there is hardly a bright side. This has absolutely been the most important step. It’s so easy to get up every day mad or devastated about the events going on around us. At this point in 2020, we’ve all encountered a tough circumstance or have had to make major adjustments in order for us to have some sort of normalcy. Honestly, a lot of times it feels like we can’t catch a break. I’ve realized by choosing to look at the positive things, despite all of the unfortunate circumstances, is a step in the right direction. Now, whether I truly feel happy by the end of the day or even within an hour into the day, is a different story. The main idea is that I’m intentionally seeking to have a positive mindset. Despite all of the stressors I may deal with, I’m still grateful to have a job, my health, and my loved ones.
Though we are currently uncertain what the future holds in regard to our new way of life, we have to remember to prioritize our mental health. We have to intentionally focus on remaining positive and being open minded when it comes to ways to cope with our stress. I’m sure there are a lot of us out there that didn’t even realize what our triggers are. Some of us probably didn’t even realize that we were horrible at managing stressful situations and our anxiety. Regardless, we have to make sure that we are putting in that extra effort to stay healthy during these unpredictable times. Now is the time for us to focus on becoming better versions of ourselves, whether it’s mentally, spiritually, financially, physically, or all of the above. Yes, dealing with anxiety can seem like a huge roadblock; however, it’s up to us to use our inner strength and push past it.
Sincerely,
Carmen
