Social Anxiety

How to Deal With Anxiousness During a Pandemic?

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Fear is a reaction to a definite and very real threat, whereas, anxiety is a reaction to ambiguous or bizarre threats and it is absolutely essential to gain insight on how to deal with anxiousness. Anxiety is conspicuous when we believe that an unsafe or disastrous event may take place and we are automatically anticipating it. Every person at some point in time in their life experiences anxiety at their own different degree and intensity.

A pandemic is a specific and rare state of affairs. The outbreak of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) which was  “characterized as a pandemic” by the director of World Health, (Ghebreyesus, 2020).

“It has deeply disturbed how we live and work, and many of us are feeling comprehensibly stressed, confused, and frightened. This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector, So every sector and every individual must be involved in the fights.” 

(Ghebreyesus, 2020)

Hence, it is normal to feel anxious during a pandemic. Fear and anxiety related to a disease can be overwhelming, which could result in strong emotions in adults and children. However, for some people it is hard to control their fears which is more perpetual and happens to affect their daily lives. 

Anxiety in the course of an infectious disease outbreak includes:

  • Stress and concern regarding their own health and the health of the family
  • Change in sleep pattern and the eating style
  • Struggling to concentrate on important matters
  • Deterioration of prolonged health problems
  • Deterioration of mental health problems
  • Increased consumption of cigarettes, alcohol, or any other type of drug

The heightened anxiety during the hectic, unprecedented time is inevitable but there are ways to improve your attitude in dealing with it that can greatly reduce your overall sense of helplessness.  Instead of feeling the waves of lockdown anxiety, we could learn how to overcome anxiousness during a pandemic.

Ways to Deal With Anxiety During Pandemics

Stay informed about the news and advises from relevant authorities

It is important to know what’s happening in your area and to take the necessary precautions when required. Stay away from the fabricated information going around that makes you more anxious. Use reliable sources such as the World Health Organization, health authorities, reliable local newspaper. Avoid constant monitoring of news and social media feeds which can aggravate your anxious feeling rather than easing it. If you are feeling overwhelmed with news feeds, try cutting down your media consumption to a specific timeframe. Verify your information before passing it to others and spreading unnecessary fright.

Concentrate on things you can control

The uncertainty surrounding this pandemic includes; how everyone acts, what’s happening in the economy, when will the lockdown finish, how long we have to work from home an all the various scenarios that might occur. We start looking for incomprehensible answers for all the scenarios we might come up without actually facing them, hence, feeling flabbergasted, anxious, and drained out.

Try shifting your attention to things you can control when you feel being caught up in the distress of thinking about what might happen during this pandemic and ways to overcome anxiousness. One cannot control the harshness of the pandemic but can take steps to reduce the spread and fear of risk surrounding it. There are plenty of things people can do to control the spread, especially to the ones who are at high risk. Things that people can do to control the spread includes:

  • Keeping your hands clean at all times. Wash it with soap and water for 20 seconds or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer especially after visiting the washroom, before eating and touching your face, after coughing or sneezing.
  • Avoid touching your face, especially eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Limit your non-essential travel and shopping, except going out to buy medicine or food. Stay home when you are not even sick.
  • Practice social distancing – avoid close contact with other people and avoid crowds and gatherings.
  • Plan your self-isolation/self-quarantine – It’s okay to be concerned about what’s happening at the workplace, school, and with other relatives and friends. Plan for what you can and being proactive can relieve some level of fear and anxiety.
  • Follow your health authorities’ recommendations and advice.

Stay connected even during self-isolation or self-quarantine

While it is very important to maintain social distance yourself from other people to condense the spread of the virus, social distancing can be its own source of stress – the worries about families and friends, particularly those who are at higher risk with job security and the upcoming financial problems. Few or no social contacts incubates anxiety and over time it builds up making it hard to contain. Also, cutting down on social interactions causes loneliness which can lead to depression. Hence it’s important to stay connected and reach out to support when needed.

Try doing video chats with your loved ones. Face-to-face chats will uplift your mental health and help in reducing stress and fear of being alone.  

Stay engaged with social media in a meaningful way to feel connected in a greater way to our communities, friends, family, and acquaintances is the best means to beat social anxiety.            

While chatting, don’t let the conversation be only on the pandemic, move out of that discussion, and enjoy each other’s company with your laughs and stories, and talk on other things of life.

It’s the right time to explore the full potential of digital technologies that will assist us to stay connected.

Take care of yourself

Good self-care helps in keeping your immune system healthy. It is important to eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, engaging in leisure activities that will help keep you physically and psychologically healthy, and stress-free. Here are ways in which you can practice good self-care during this pandemic:

  • Go easy on yourself if you facing more than the usual depression or anxiety. You are not alone.
  • If you are stuck at home for isolation, make a routine for yourself and habit to follow it such as mealtime, work schedules, sleep time, family time, and leisure time. This will help you feel a sense of normalcy.
  • Get yourself plenty of sunshine and fresh air – you will feel good.           
  • Stay active by engaging in regular exercise – cycling, walking or hiking, yoga, or practice online exercise videos. This will, in turn, help manage your mood to release and relieve your stress.
  • Avoid using alcohol or other addictive and harmful substances/drugs to help in dealing with anxiety and depression.

Help each other during a crisis

During this time of crisis, everyone is worried about their fears and concern. A lot of people have lost their jobs or are working on reduced hours during this pandemic and they are worried about their family, financial status and when will this pandemic end. It’s important to remind everyone that we are not alone in this. Helping others will make a greater difference not only to your communities but the world at large and this will also elevate your own mental health and well-being. Panic buying by people has also made others who are not able to afford in fear of price increase or shortage of food supplies – similar to the epic toilet paper fight.

  • Try reaching out to others in need. Especially the elders or less fortunate ones.
  • Donate food/cash to help older people, low-income earners, or those who lost their jobs.
  • Being a positive influence on someone’s life in this anxious time will make you feel better about your situation.
  • Barter for a better living – helping others with what they need in return for what they can do for you will make you feel content and less anxious.

Conclusion

All in all, this pandemic is worst the world has ever faced and everyone is going through their own set of fear and anxiety and each person’s mental health is deeply affected. It is important to follow certain measures on how to deal with anxiousness during a pandemic that will help throughout this time of uncertainty.

Book Summary: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

TheAnxietyInfo Self-Help Books, Social Anxiety , , ,
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman and Nan Silver is a very timely and research-backed book that outlines ways in which we can make the marriage work, and perhaps help with relationship anxiety that many are exposed to today.

With nationwide coronavirus lockdown, marriages have been put to the test like never before. According to Bloomberg, the biggest hike in the U.S. divorce rate was after World War II, when the returning soldiers were welcomed by wives, who had become accustomed to controlling their household by themselves.

On the same note, the lockdown due to COVID-19 evidenced an elevated divorced rate. ABC News cites forced proximity as the primary reason for divorce rates after the COVID-19 crisis.

The author John M. Gottman has very candidly stated in his book – The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work that happily married couples are not richer, smarter, or more psychologically astute than others.

“But in their day-to-day lives, the couple have hit upon a dynamic that keeps their negative thoughts and feeling about each other (which all couples have) from overwhelming their positive ones. They have what I call an emotionally intelligent marriage.”

What can make a marriage work is astonishingly simple!

The author implies that mutual respect for and enjoyment of each other’s company is at the heart of his program.

Gottman’s psychological research has busted some of the myths about what leads to a happy and stable partnership among couples and partners.

Myths Busted:

Professional counselors iterate that poor communication between partners is the key obstacle to happy, lasting marriage. What they do not realize is communication is paralyzed in heated screaming matches. Very few people – maybe the Dalai Lama, are capable of being calm in magnanimous in the face of criticism.

Major differences of opinion will destroy a marriage.  Gottman reveals a shocking truth: “Most arguments between partners cannot be resolved.” For example, Lila wants to have children, Chris on the other hand, has no interest. And the list goes on:

  • Jamie always wants more sex than Lara.
  • Sheena wants to bring the kids up Catholic while John wants to raise them Jewish.
  • Roger always flirts at parties and Katy hates it.

Partners spend years and a huge amount of energy trying to change each other. But in practicality, the massive disagreements are about values and a different point of view for seeing the world.

Practical couples understand this and decide to accept each other.

Get a copy of the amazingly researched book to unleash other myths to saving a marriage or relationship!

Signs that couples may be on the path to divorce – if not soon then within some years if things do not change:

  • Starting a conversation with criticism, harsh words or contempt.
  • Stonewalling. This happens when one partner “turns off,” because he/she is not able to tolerate frequent criticism and defensiveness.
  • Flooding. When either partner is bombarded with verbal attacks from the other. When someone is attacked, an increase in heart rate and blood pressure leads to the release of hormones, namely adrenaline. When this becomes too common, both members try to avoid the experience by disengaging from each other.

Ways to save a marriage:

According to Gottman, marriage is ‘shared meaning’ – each partner supports the other’s dreams, ambitions, and hopes. No one person should sacrifice to make the other happy.

“Genuine friendships are equal”

  • Be familiar and interested to your partner’s world

Couples in strong relationships are in touch with their partner’s feelings and wants.

  • Turn toward your partner

The moment when you stop acknowledging each other, the relationship is on its way out.

  • Allow yourself to be influenced

This comes naturally to women, but men find this difficult. Happier marriages are those in which the man listens to his wife and factors into account her feelings and views.

As Gottman puts it : “ Better, Longer Lasting Marriages are those in which the power is shared”.

Why You Should Read the Book:

There are hundreds of books and articles on how you can improve relationships, but Gottman’s The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work has the edge as its finds are backed by hardcore actual data.

The author, a psychology professor carried out a study based on over 650 real married couples over a 14 years period to understand and compile solid scientific data on marriage and the rationale for making it work.

Some of the people who came to his marriage classes were on the brink of divorce, however, after learning his principles their relapse rate back to marital misery was less than half the average for marriage counseling.