Exercising outdoors is a good way to ease anxiety. The trails in Pacific Spirit Park have new signs reminding everyone to "do your part. Stay 2 metres apart. Photo: Tracy Sherlock.
It’s normal to feel anxious in times like these, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in her briefing today, April 6, 2020.
I know I’ve been feeling it. Over the first couple of weeks the anxiety level was so high I felt dizzy at times. It’s now calmed to a bit of a dull headache, a constant feeling that something is just not quite right, a feeling that peaks when something stressful happens.
I’m lucky enough to be healthy at the moment. I can’t imagine the anxiety someone would feel if they were sick with COVID-19, or if they knew they had contact with someone sick, or if they were waiting on test results.
And the thought of being a healthcare worker, exposed every day and terrified of bringing it home to your family, is even worse. My hat is off to all healthcare workers – everyday heroes among us.
I’ve been dealing with anxiety the same way I always do: getting lots of sleep, exercising outdoors and eating healthy food. I also try to connect with a friend by phone or video call at least once a day. I try really hard to stay in the moment, rather than thinking about the future. None of us knows what will happen in the future, so there is no point wasting too much angst and energy worrying about it. (I may sound confident in that, but believe me, I struggle.)
I’ve been collecting some wisdom on the subject from around the internet and I thought I would share it with you.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, mentioned above, today recommended two websites: Anxiety Canada and Bounce Back B.C.
Anxiety Canada has lots of resources, including various tips such as being self-compassionate, not talking about the coronavirus constantly and limiting your exposure to news and social media. None of those is terribly easy, but even journalists covering COVID-19 need to take a break from the constant stream of bad news once in a while. There are still other things to talk about – such as everything we talked about before the world changed in mid-March. You’ll feel better if you talk about those other things at least a few times each day.
Bounce Back B.C. refers to the Canadian Mental Health Association, which has an online course to help people learn to cope with anxiety. I may look into that.
A recent Globe and Mail article included a great idea – a mental exercise in which you have two internal coaches, Coach A and Coach B. Coach A is allowed to catastrophize, but Coach B is the voice of reason. Coach A may appear in your imagination all the time, but if you mindfully engage Coach B it can help bring yourself back to reality.
Other types of mindfulness, such as meditation, yoga, visualization or relaxation exercises can also help. Do whatever works for you.
Isolation can add to stress. Human beings are normally social animals and not being able to talk through your anxiety with someone who cares can be tough. But human connection doesn’t have to be in-person, as we are all learning. Reach out online, talk to a friend.
One particularly insightful Facebook post is full of good suggestions, among them, giving others the benefit of the doubt (we’re all struggling), finding a space to call your own, lowering expectations and practicing radical self-acceptance. It also suggests finding ways to help others, tackling a long-term project you’ve always wanted to pursue, getting creative, and laughing every day.
Of course, if you’re really struggling, you must reach out and ask for help. If help isn’t available from your family or friends, call the BC Mental Health Support Line at 310-6789 (no area code.)
Remember to be kind to yourself! Stay healthy, everyone.
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