Managing Anxiety Throughout the Lockdown

We are now into our 6th week of 'self-isolation' due to COVID-19. In the previous blog, I gave some tips on how to maintain optimal mental health during this period. Today, I will focus specifically on anxiety.

What is Anxiety?

The NHS definition of anxiety is "a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe."

We would have all felt some form of anxiety at stages in our lives with examples such as exam stress or university/job interviews. During these times, feeling anxious is quite normal and is our body's natural response to stressful situations.

Anxiety also features as one of the main symptoms for several conditions, including phobias and PTSD.

Symptoms of Anxiety

There are a number of symptoms associated with anxiety. Imagine you are exposed to your phobia. How would you feel?
For example - I have a fear of spiders. I am relaxing at home, and I see that there's a spider in my bedroom. What would my body's natural reaction be? I'm sure some of you may have been in this situation before.

Here are some of the things that may occur:

• increased heart rate
• rapid breathing
• restlessness
• trouble concentrating
• difficulty falling asleep

Anxiety and COVID-19

It is not uncommon for people to experience the above symptoms due to their thoughts. The main cause being stress, but we tend to call the causes 'triggers'. People have different 'triggers' that set off their anxiety. One of the main causes is negative thinking about past/present events, which if left untreated by the individual, can spiral out of control. This is why it is important to gain control of your mind by doing simple tasks (you can see those in the last section).

With all of us being forced to stay at home during the pandemic, it could lead to some symptoms of anxiety. The feeling of the unknown. Maybe watching too much media coverage about the situation and wondering when we will be allowed to visit our friends and family. Eventually, all of these things could lead to increased negative thoughts and anxiety.
However, we must begin to understand that these measures of self-isolation and social distancing are temporary. There will be a time when we can have our lives back. There will be a time when we can hang out with our friends. There will be a time when we can embrace our family members. There will be a time when we can go back to normality. That time is not now. Our actions of social distancing will help protect our loved ones who could be at a higher risk of dying.

I think this quote below from Jenni Young sums up our current situation:

Managing Anxiety During Self-Isolation

So, what can you do to manage your anxiety levels during this self-isolation period?
- Change your way of thinking. Stop telling yourself "Damn, I hate being stuck inside". Instead of this, focus on telling yourself "I finally have time to focus on myself".
- Stop obsessing over the media hype regarding COVID-19. Boring news does not sell newspapers - sensationalism does.
- Follow my tips from the previous blog post (maintaining optimal mental health).
- Find a new activity to focus your mind. It could be something as simple as cleaning the home or reading a book.

- If you start feeling that you are losing control of your anxiety - TAKE CONTROL! How? Stop what you are doing and control your breathing. Breathe in (count to 3) & breathe out (count to 3).
- Be kind to yourself. You are not weak!

Finally, my most important tip is to talk to someone. Realize that there is no need to suffer in silence. A problem shared is a problem halved. That person could be a family member, friend or teacher. Never underestimate the power of talking and sharing your problems with a trusted person.

"It will not last forever and better days are on the way."