Are You Struggling With COVID Anxiety and Stress?

Do you find yourself more upset whenever you take in news concerning COVID-19? If you've been feeling more stressed out or concerned lately, it's not unusual. Numerous other individuals are also like this.

As the pandemic took hold of the country, it left a course of unpredictability in its wake -- enough to create some psychological health and wellness issues that need to be dealt with.

Note that there are steps you can take to defend yourself against stress and anxiety brought on by COVID:

Manage It Immediately

You may have been lured to ignore or dismiss how you truly feel, or perhaps you didn't quite comprehend how nervous or stressed out you've been all along.

Your anxiety and stress factors aren't going to vanish by waiting or ignoring them -- comparable to how COVID will not merely vanish on its own.

You should avoid the lure of the normalcy bias or that enticing feeling that you can simply fast-forward the difficult parts of this year, or that things will rapidly go back to precisely how they were pre-COVID. Rather, we need to adapt to the long haul of living with COVID-19, along with taking on anxiety and depression now.

Stressed and Anxious? Address These Needs Now

It's possible that a lot of the things that are making you distressed or keeping you tense now involve the uncertainty brought by the pandemic.

However, there are things within your control. Securing these will likely give a sense of stability and comfort -- and don't we all just wish for these during difficult times?

You're most likely acquainted with Abraham Maslow's theory of human motivation, including the pyramid of needs also based on his work. Maslow recommended specific key requirements that need to be fulfilled so that individuals will continue being motivated.

Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman refined Maslow's theory with newer research, and his revised model shows that people require the following to stay motivated and balanced.

Safety

This relates to physical safety. Make sure that you and also the ones you love can remain protected in a safe place for months at a time if there are significantly high COVID outbreaks in your location. Prepare a couple of months' worth of standard food and also cleansing products, in addition to required medications.

Keep in mind that numerous companies (most likely including your own, too) as well as companies have actually moved to a remote work process. You may need to telecommute indefinitely, so ensure your house is a location where you can work without challenges.

Connection to Others

If your aim is to get rid of your stress and anxiety, then you must make sure to keep your relationships with your loved ones and your community strong. There are a number of things you'll need to do to maintain it.

First, consider your connections with household members. With these connections, it's much better to expect and attend to issues ahead of time as opposed to having them blow up later. If you stay with a romantic partner in your home, you'll have to find out exactly how to engage in a healthy way considering that you're with each other all the time.

The very same applies for numerous other family members. You may also have children who are cooped up inside your home if they're back from school or university. If that is the case, you will need to find ways to help them handle lockdown boredom or fatigue.

A lot more effort should be made when dealing with older adults above 60 or anyone with health conditions in your house (even including yourself, if applicable). Much consideration needs to be given to ensure that they don't get ill since they are at a greater risk of contracting the virus.

Second, think of your close connections who don't stay in your house. You and your romantic partner might not be residing in the exact same house. Based on how susceptible you and other household members might be to the virus, you might opt to have a socially distant type of relationship for now or you might choose to take the risk of physical intimacy.

No matter which choice you make, just ensure that you are making an informed choice and not taking matters lightly.

Use the exact same principle in your friendships and neighborhood activities. You will need to figure out ways to stay connected with most people online, given that social distancing suggestions and choices might vary.

The sooner you're able to address this, the much better for all people involved. While different US states have varying standards, changes will be made depending upon the number of COVID cases in your location. 

 Self-Esteem

Finally, you have to evaluate and secure your self-esteem. This refers to your sense of control over your fate, so you'll need to address your self-confidence and self-respect.

You can approach this by charting out how you want to live your life throughout and after the pandemic. You should likewise explore other areas in your life where you can make improvements - even enhancements - during this period of restrictions and constraints.

You might even pick up or improve new skills. Sheltering mostly at home gives an excellent opportunity to tackle those dishes you've wished to cook for the longest time, or to learn a musical instrument, or discover a brand-new language.