This may look like the face of a calm, happy-go-lucky woman, but let me tell you, behind this face, is the constant feeling of anxiety. I’ve always struggled with anxiety; I didn’t really realize that was the case until I was graduated from college. When in high school, it presented in the constant feeling of my stomach in knots. Even going to a family dinner resulted in me having stomach pains that only much later did I realize was social anxiety presenting itself.
When I was 21, the same feeling hit me when my friends wanted to go out or go party. I hated it but never understood why? I have always been a “social” person, so why was I always plagued with this feeling of stomach pain?
That’s the thing about anxiety. It creeps up and presents itself when you least expect it. For me, it often presents itself when my mind loses control of situations. And boy was that true when a global pandemic hit.
Coronavirus, Quarantine and economic uncertainty is a control freaks worst nightmare. Furthermore, I live alone and at the time, didn’t have my new dog, Gus. I was forced to face my anxiety head on and find ways to manage it on my own. So, here are my top tips on how to manage anxiety during a pandemic
Tip #1: Journal
This was the #1 thing that saved me in the beginning. My mind was wandering in so many places. Was I going to get sick? Was I going to have my job? Was my family safe? To give myself back some control, I journaled all of my worst case scenarios and then beneath them, I wrote out all of the things I controlled that would prevent those things from happening OR if they did, how I would still be okay. This calmed my anxiety more than I can express.
Tip #2: Take Care of Yourself
I gave myself a couple weeks to be in a funk, and then I told myself to snap out of it! I re-established my routine that always kept me centered. I’d wake up in the morning, work out, drink coffee & eat breakfast, work and so on. At night, I’d do my skincare routine and take a bath followed by some reading and it really helped my soul.
Tip #3: Adopt a Fur Baby
This tip won’t work for everyone, but it worked for me! I had actually pre-adopted Gus before COVID-19 ever really hit, but I was finally able to take him home during week two of quarantine and it completely turned my mood around! I had something to distract me from the outside world and give all my loving to!
Do you deal with anxiety? How have you managed it during quarantine and a global pandemic?
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