Got Anxiety? Emotions about Covid19?

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Overwhelmed by the coronavirus? But of course, we all are.

Overwhelmed because it is out of our control. Our brains are working overtime to take in and process new information every day. Every day it changes, which results in a constant avalanche of information that inundates us.

 How many people have it? How fast is it spreading? How is my state affected and what can I do to protect myself? The answers are ever changing.

 The Tough Part of Covid19 

  • The suddenness: At first it was overseas. Far away. Now it’s right here in our city.

  • Powerlessness: It is out of our control. There’s not much we can do, making it difficult.

  • Constant News Coverage: Every day there is more bad news. All day long. It’s easy to be overwhelmed.

  • Isolation: Working from home, seeing few people, trying to keep the virus at bay. Trapped at home to just wait.

  • Fear: Most of us are worried about our work, bills and finances. We are worried what the future may hold. Pretty normal.

Life as we know it…… stops. We must find our resilience and cope.

 So, we do our part: 6’ social distance, staying at home more, regular hand washing and taking care of your emotional health. How do I do that? Well, here are some important things you probably didn’t think about when it comes to emotional health:

 Why is Emotional Health Important?

Immunity- it’s a big deal with Covid19 going around.

Our nervous systems have 2 polls:

Sympathetic nervous system (SNS)

Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Parasympathetic nervous system keeps us functioning- heartrate, breathing, blood pressure, digestion and healing.

The general response to both physical and psychological stress is the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). When the sympathetic nervous system is activated because our mind is hypervigilant with Covid19, we are in a state of hypervigilance aka; fight or flight.

When that happens, our para-sympathetic nervous system (which is for healing and digestion) is inhibited. Our energy focuses on fight or flight and thus it has a powerful impact on our immunity.

Think about this:

If a rabbit is out looking at a beautiful garden of carrots and then fox comes along……

We don’t want rabbit to continue to be focused on carrots….

He needs to go into fight or fight mode and run as fast as he can, to the rabbit hole, where he is safe.

Fight or flight- is a quick burst of energy- it was never meant to be long term. It’s on …then it’s off…short….that’s how it was designed.

When your body is in fight or flight mode, all energy goes to save your life. It’s the most important thing. Parasympathetic nervous system (healing and digestion) is pretty much shut down. Every energy goes to fight or flight to save your life.

So think about Covid19. Fear, caution, fight or flight…see what that’s doing to the immune system? Healing and digestion? Yes, pretty much inhibited.

So, hypervigilance during Covid19? Not what we want.

Safe Guards that Help

Pay attention to your feelings. We plow through all of the sudden changes and anxiety without ever considering how we’re feeling.  But in this situation, it is important to pause, focus on your feelings and identify them.  

Do What You Can. It Will Help You Feel Less Powerless: 

o   Practice social distancing

o   Balance self-care & care of others

o   Designate some time to help others

o   Reach out to friends and family for support & comfort

o   Volunteer to help others

o   Reflect on those things that bring you gratitude

Limit how much you watch the news

Constant rhetoric about Covid19 can be draining.  

Connect with your people

  Phone, Skype, and FaceTime to stay in touch. They could be lonely too. 

Use this time to grow:

This could be a time to focus on doing something or learning something that you have only previously thought about. Distractions are minimized, go for it.    

Don’t ignore your feelings

Feelings can show up as physical ailments such as headaches, backaches, aches and pains and right now, they can lower your immunity. Ignored feelings can turn into anxiety and depression.  

Maybe now would be a good time to learn emotional skills. Look online, set up a video counseling session with a therapist, read a book. There is lots of information out there. 

Use your energy to learn and grow.

This could be a time to reflect on your life. What would you like to be different? How would that look? Make a plan. Be the change. We will get through this.

   

 Learn more about anxiety treatment in Colorado