Coping with COVID - Part 3

Searching for certainty - dealing with anxiety while stuck at home

So many of us are struggling with anxiety. For those of us with persistent anxiety, daily functions can be an obstacle. But today's hurdles are much, much bigger. With recent events, even those of us with the most stable temperaments have trouble feeling at ease.

Anxiety can be productive- it's not always bad. It can help you accomplish tasks and keep you safe when you find yourself in a compromising position. It can also encourage behaviors that promote health and well-being (WASH THOSE HANDS, PLEASE!) Yet when anxiety becomes worry, it is no longer valuable.

It isn't so much what is going to happen today (for most people, it will be more of the same). What we're wondering is "What will tomorrow look like?"

Human beings are creatures of habit and routine. Although we like to shake things up a bit here and there, we don't like it when the whole shaker gets turned upside down.

So what to do? Panic? Freak OUT? BUY ALL THE TP????

Probably not. The focus should be on managing the anxiety in an appropriate way. We all prefer certainty, but right now, the only thing that is certain is .... (drum-roll please).... UNCERTAINTY! So we have to what we can to get comfortable with it.

Just breathe. Take a little time to turn off the panic button. Do a little meditation, check in to see where the tension is in your body.

Focus on the present. Can I control what's bothering me? If so, great! Do something about it. Is your concern out of your control? Let it go and refocus on something you CAN control. Learn to accept the uncertainty and focus on the here and now.

Just move! Keep yourself active both physically and mentally, which can be a positive distraction and increase serotonin, the happy mood booster!

​-Dr. T