How to Stay Calm in a Crisis
With the current crisis happening right now with the Coronavirus (Covid-19), some of us become easily overwhelmed while others seem to become more laser focused. I’ve come to find that I’m the later, and I’m surprisingly pretty calm, cool and collected all things considered. I’m also the girl who tends to have anxiety, so how can a girl who has anxiety stay relatively calm in a crisis such as the one we’re currently experiencing?
Here are the attitudes and practices that work for me, but it’s important to keep in mind that not everything that works for me works for you, so if it resonates with you, then run with it. If it doesn’t, no worries.
We cannot control the Outcome
Though we wish we could, we cannot control the outcome of what’s happening around us. We’d love for everyone to be listening to what their governors are asking of them, but we know they won’t. We cannot expect that others will listen, so the worry, anxiety and stress that we’re assigning to that is pointless. Those feelings are keeping you in a constant state of chronic arousal and plunging you into anxiety, stress, depression or worse.
When these feelings start to manifest try to remind yourself, albeit easier said than done, that you can’t control the outcome. Instead, take whatever proactive steps you’re able to take to protect yourself and your loved ones. That can help reduce your anxiety to an extent.
Maintain a Routine
With the many of us being forced to stay at home, maintaining a routine can be difficult. We’re having to work remotely, gyms are closed so getting creative in order to get workouts in can be tough, some daycares/schools are closed, most stores are closed, so essentially our world has been turned upside down. With out worlds being turned upside down, it means that routines have also been turned upside down.
Maintaining as much of a routine as possible can help relieve stress and decrease anxiety. I recently bought a treadmill, so I’ve been sticking to my running routine and have actually increased my runs. We’re still doing school and homework and trying to keep the evenings the same as they were before. The kids have barely noticed the change. Some of that is because my husband are essential workers so we’re both still working, but for some, they’re working from home or not at all so this looks very different for them.
This is not Permanent
This situation is ever-changing, so it’s important to understand that just because it might seem that it’ll take a while to clear up, it doesn’t mean that it’s a permanent situation. Eventually this virus will go away and life as we know it will return to a sense of normalcy. It’ll certainly take a while for it to return to what it was before Covid-19 graced us with it’s presence, but this is not permanent. Remember that.
Take a Break from the News & Focus Locally
I tend to spend far too much time seeking updates on Covid-19. It’s daunting, gut-wrenching and seriously terrifying. It’s by no fault other than my own that I expose myself to the media, but I’ve found that every time I seek updates, I find myself a bit more stressed and concerned.
I’ve made it a point to focus on my local area and state and focus my attention on the efforts of how I can help. If we focus on the U.S as a whole and spend time wondering how we can help out overall, we’re sure to get overwhelmed more quickly than if we were to focus on our immediate area first. By focusing locally first and getting our immediate area under control, we can then expand our horizons.
Express Your Emotions
It’s 100% normal to want to express your emotions especially during crisis, and I find that by writing them down it helps to really express them in a way that helps to truly let them out, helps me truly be aware of them and let them go.
That’s what I have always done especially through my blogging or journaling. When I have gone through a crisis, I have written about it because that has been the best way that I have been able to express myself. If you find that writing about isn’t your jam, phone a friend and chat with them. If you don’t want to talk about it, some people like to release those emotions by working out via running or through yoga. Some like meditating. Whatever your vibe is, make ample time to express your emotions.
Prepare yourself for Whatever Might Come
Prepare for might still unfold. We hear horror stores of people scrambling to stores, hoarding toilet paper and cleaning supplies leaving the elderly and disabled without the necessities, and we are left horrified and appalled by our own neighbors. I’m not necessarily referring to this aspect of preparation, but rather emergency instructions in case you and/or your spouse are hospitalized because of this virus. If such an unfortunate event transpires who will take care of your children, your home and your pets? Do you have a will in place? It sucks to think about the idea of death, but sometimes having clear instructions in place for your loved ones are necessary.
Taking care of these practical, albeit morbid plans, can lessen stress in the long-run.
Listen and Read Inspiring Things
In a time when our televisions and radios are overcome with negativity and news covering COVID-19, now is the time to listen and read as much inspiring things as possible. I listen to a lot of podcasts and I read a lot, and I’ve been focusing more on positive, uplifting things because the media is pushing the the opposite and it’s exhausting. Instead of letting the negativity of the media hijack your mood, take your mood back and choose joy and try to be positive. You are then able to lessen the anxiety and stress by actively controlling what you’re listening to and reading.
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I don’t think the COVID-19 virus is a short-lived situation, so it surely looks like we’re in this for the long-haul, unfortunately. I do, however, believe that over time our world will recover from this crisis, but in the meantime you’ll need to take conscious steps to keep your anxiety and stress levels at bay by practicing the above steps.
As mentioned, not all will work for you, but I’m confident that some will. Read through them and when one resonates with you, give it a go and see how it works.
This storm will pass.
