Four Areas for Managing Stress & Anxiety
This is unquestionably a period where all of us are experiencing an enormous amount of stress. And what makes it even more challenging is that the source of stress is multi-faceted – the certainty of our routines has all but been eliminated, we’re left wondering how long this will last, and wonder how this will impact us as individuals and families. With all of this going on, it’s understandable that we would be experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, and even depression. However, there are steps that we can take to break out of this cycle and be able to maintain as much of our normal lives as possible.
Here are four areas that you can leverage to reduce your levels of stress and anxiety:
1. Relationships.
Now is the time to really “lean in” to relationships with family, friends, and even work colleagues. The upside of having a shared experience is that it provides us a commonality of experience that helps break down previous barriers to communication and closeness. In your communication with others, try to focus on genuine and caring messages which will help both you and the other person.
2. We are not alone.
While this crisis impacts each of us differently, nevertheless, we are all subjected to the same situation. Regularly reflecting on the fact that we are not passive recipients of what’s happening, will help us move from seeing ourselves as victims to taking proactive steps to actively manage our lives.
3. Manage your media intake.
It can be emotionally damaging to spend large blocks of the day scrolling through media feeds. The reason for this is that we often react to the gist of the events rather than the details. Then, we negatively extrapolate those events into the future. It’s important to keep in mind that the way we interpret reality governs our emotions and actions, not necessarily the reality of the situation. Try to set boundaries of where and how often you engage in news feeds and select just a few trusted sources.
4. Self-care.
Without our regular routine, it’s easy to fall into some unhealthy habits … eating junk foods, staying up late, sleeping in, and not getting regular exercise. It’s also easy to use the current situation as an excuse to stop our healthy habits. Instead, take this opportunity to create a new routine - one that is focused on trying different ways to prepare healthy foods, establishing a regular bedtime process, or creating a new morning routine that might include exercise and a meditation or reflection.
As this crisis continues and the bad news increases, we will need to maintain our vigilance around taking care of our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. We suggest that you take this time to establish new habits and routines that will lead to living an even happier and healthier life on the other side of this crisis.
Here are a couple of our favorite exercises to help you during this time - the first one for the daytime and the second to help you fall asleep: