1. It’s Okay to be Worried

During these unprecedented times, it’s important to remember that: Anxiety is really just our natural fear response in action. The world is currently experiencing a pandemic, meanwhile our minds and bodies are reacting as they should be:

In a way to help us stay safe!

For example, maybe your anxiety is telling you not to go out, or to keep your distance from others, especially if they are elderly or look sick. During these strange times, precautions like this are appropriate and serve us well.

With this sudden societal shift, there is a lot to consider: keeping ourselves healthy, supporting our family and friends, changes or layoffs in the workplace, or being isolated. Of course our minds will race.

Again, our busy brain is part of a natural response designed to help us find solutions to current problems.

2. When is worrying too much?

With that said, constant worrying isn’t helpful.

When our worries become unrealistic, we call it: Catastrophizing.

Catastrophizing is when we jump to the worst-case scenario in our mind. Unfortunately, when we get stuck thinking about the worst-case scenario, it can feel paralyzing, or lead us to make decisions that are unhelpful.

A good exercise to combat Catastrophizing is to challenge the thought with facts or “evidence”.

For example, if you’re worried about being able to access basic supplies at a nearby shop, you may feel anxious thinking about how difficult it will be to obtain the necessities. This worry thought may lead you to think of the worst-case scenario, like:

“Oh no! I need to go shopping right now before the entire province is out of food. I’ll have to stock up before it’s too late!”

Challenging our thoughts is one of the main strategies used in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help us manage our anxiety. For instance, if you worried about running out of supplies, you could challenge that thought by reminding yourself that:

1) the stores are continuously restocking shelves,

2) telling yourself that you can shop again tomorrow if they are out of things,

3) asking friends if they had trouble buying items, and

4) reading news articles that clearly indicate that there is no problem with ‘supply’.

Learning the ability to challenge your unhelpful thoughts is especially convenient during these trying times.

To learn more about how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help with anxiety, click here.

3. Try to Limit Information Overload

Being informed about how things are developing is important, but being glued to the TV or social media is not the most productive thing you can do - especially if you’re feeling anxious.

It’s also important to make sure that your source of information is accurate, and not based on rumours or designed to conjure up more fear.

Sometimes Uncle John on Facebook just isn't sharing the most up-to-date information. Sorry Uncle John. :)

Below are two reputable sources of accurate information about the current COVID-19 situation that you can trust.

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Health Canada - COVID-19 updates, travel advice, how to prepare and measures taken across Canada to respond to the outbreak.

World Health Organization - Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public including protective measures.

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It’s important to find a balance of being informed, and not being obsessed with every social media post.

We get it: during a time of constant mobile updates and live news feeds, it’s tough to unplug. If you’re feeling anxious, a good rule would be to pick a time (or a few times) during the day to update yourself - and then stick to that plan… And, if you find yourself scrolling on social media and you feel your anxiety rising, it’s probably time to put it away.

4. Make Time for Self-Care

Current conditions make it difficult to maintain your regular routine; in fact, you may have to stop doing some of the things that give you enjoyment and keep you healthy, like going to the gym or pampering yourself at the salon. Nonetheless, it’s important to make time to take care of yourself. Your physical health and mental health are closely related. Try to stick to a regular sleeping and eating schedule. If you’re currently housebound, you may not be sure how to get exercise at home, but there are many online platforms that can help.

For example, our friends at RESET BREATHE fitness offer live or on demand: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Pilates, Yoga, and strength training classes for all levels and has an awesome virtual community. Use promo code: RESETFRIEND to get 50% off after the free trial expires.

In addition to your physical health, consider giving yourself something to look forward to by scheduling in a pleasant activity every day: walk your dog, paint your nails, pick up your guitar, complete that 5000-piece puzzle that has been collecting dust on the top shelf.

5. Maintain Your Social Connections

Lastly, even though you may not be able to connect with people in person, there are tons of ways to connect with others thanks to the joys of technology.

Have a virtual coffee date with a friend.
Watch a show “together” virtually with your family - even if they’re spread out over different time zones.
Relish the fact that you can video-chat with a colleague while in your underwear (button-up shirts are still recommended).
And if you’re quarantined with others, consider giving technology a rest and unplugging in favour of some quality time.

And of course: now is the perfect time to support each other! Feeling like you’re part of the solution (versus feeling like you’re not in control) can bring a much needed sense of accomplishment.

Last thoughts:

There are a lot of things we’re still trying to manage with COVID-19, but there are also a lot of things we can do to help ourselves and each other.

Our challenge to you, is to make one small change today. Maybe it’s a change you’ve been thinking of making already; perhaps it’s an idea you got from this blog. It doesn’t have to be awe-inspiring.

During a time when everything is changing around us and things feel very uncertain, wouldn’t it be great to know we had control over at least one of the changes?

How to deal with COVID-19 anxiety