What You Can Do Everyday to Soothe Your COVID Anxiety

COVID isn’t the 24-hour crisis it once was. Yet, you may still wonder, “Where do we go from here?”

Am I right to go without a mask? Is it wrong to insist people stay a safe distance away when we’re indoors? Am I over-anxious or not concerned enough?

COVID anxiety has reached a new phase for many of us now. War, politics, and economic fallout consume the headlines now. Yet, the internal tension created by quarantine, uncertainty, and a steady diet of calamity and catastrophe has taken a genuine toll.

How anxious are you? Perhaps you can feel it all of the time. Maybe you have brief periods of upset and panic. Either way, you may feel that life is increasingly “back to normal,” without knowing how to really feel like yourself again.

That’s absolutely okay. The pandemic was, and is, new territory for most of us. How you create calm and find peace will be a process unique to you. If it takes time, so be it. You needn’t judge yourself or compare your path forward to anyone else’s.

Please consider these daily coping strategies for combatting COVID-related worry as merely a guide and consider anxiety therapy for customized support:

Everyday Ways to Soothe Your COVID Anxiety

Self-educate Selectively

If your anxiety is disrupting your day-to-day functioning, investigate more about how to manage COVID practically. Focus less on the possible dangers and more on what is helpful, scientific, and reliable.

Years into the pandemic, we can now seek out objective and trustworthy information. Talk to your own physician. Follow up on the latest guidelines and data within your own community. Vetted information is valuable and available. Constant doomscrolling through pandemic news stories and social media posts is not helpful for your peace of mind.

Socialize Safely…and Selectively

For months, we were directed to keep our distance. Now you may feel afraid, nervous, or possibly irresponsible for gathering with others. Even if safety isn’t your primary worry, you might feel some anxiety about how you’re perceived at work after so much time away. You may wonder whether you can enjoy dating or socialize with strangers.

You aren’t alone. Isolation can foster social anxiety and feed personal insecurities over time. Set small social goals daily. Go slow to recover your social skills.  Progress with one friend or loved one at a time. If you need to mask up or socially distance as you ease into more interactions or gatherings, that’s okay too.

Most of all, choose to engage positive, non-judgmental people. Spend time with those who honor your desire to socialize the way you see fit. Supportive people, who respect your boundaries, are key.

Tune In to Your Thoughts

Pay attention to your thought patterns and their impact on your emotions daily. This is important for heading off anxiety and overreaction. A journal and a habit of mindfulness meditation can help you observe your thoughts and track anxiety triggers. At work, deep-breathing exercises, or discrete relaxation techniques can help you keep calm.

The main idea? To practice tuning in without self-critique. Offer yourself space to feel what you feel and the grace to let your mind adjust to life as it is. Daily, notice your thoughts and emotions. Allow the fact that you have the right to them. Then, intentionally let them go.

Tune In to Your Body

Physically, COVID caused us to consider our health and underlying conditions in a new light. If this causes you a great deal of anxiety, now may be time to soothe those concerns in a couple of key ways.

First, challenge thoughts that try to keep you sick, afraid, or helpless. Be aware that anxiety lives in the body as well as the mind. Do you have a headache? Are you fatigued? COVID may not be the culprit. Your anxiety may be causing muscle tension and your racing thoughts could be keeping you up at night.  Working with a therapist can help you explore the relationship between your thoughts and physical responses.

Second, push back against COVID and anxiety with excellent self-care. Habitual exercise, optimal nutrition, proper hydration, and a good nighttime routine go a long way in feeling good and thinking clearly.

Be as Proactive, Present & Positive as Possible

COVID taught us that life can change on a dime. Take heart that you now know you can create new goals and set new priorities when the situation calls for it. Channel this strength as you move forward.

 Try to face COVID-related fear. Be proactive, present, and positively focused in the moment when racing thoughts or worst-case scenarios creep into your mind. How? Try the following:

• Become proactive. Plan as well as you can for your safety as you come and go.
• Stay present. When you feel fearful, ground yourself through your senses. What do you see, hear, smell, etc?
• Be positive. List things you are grateful for today.

Finally, Please Reach Out

Coping with COVID is ongoing. Your process is nothing to be ashamed of. Facing your fears with the support of a compassionate therapist can help you soothe worry and regain a sense of control. Let us help. Learn more about our Anxiety Treatment counseling services.

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