Coronavirus Anxiety: Information and Techniques for Coping
It’s no secret that the entire world is on the edge right now as we pray for good news regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Our daily lives have been disrupted, we’re being forced to shelter at home, and we’re being fed constant negative rhetoric and panic-filled headlines on social media, as well as through the TV today.
If you are at home with children, you are probably feeling added stress to be strong, stable, and there for them. The secret to keeping your home calm and happy is by managing your own coronavirus anxiety. If your children are feeling scared or worried, they are going to be looking to you for their guidance. Therefore, learning to deal with your anxiety in a healthy way can help your entire family feel more resilient both now, as well as through the post-coronavirus effects on the economy.
The first part in managing your coronavirus stress is by accepting the uncertainty.
Uncertainty is OK
We aren’t used to living with uncertainty. We like our predictable schedules, routines, and making plans that help us understand what the future will bring. Right now, the total uncertainty can be really unsettling for a lot of people. Kids are used to uncertainty – you make their schedules for them. It’s the adults that are struggling with this kind of “unknown” as it relates to their health, income, and stability.
In order to handle this uncertainty, parents need to be practicing mindfulness and allowing their mind to settle in the present with stability. Focusing on the present, what is happening here and now, will alleviate your mind of that “what if” future fear that keeps looming at the back of your brain. If you show your kids that the future is “scary” and uncertain, they will start to feed into your anxiety with you.
Please Remain Calm
There are zillions of negative, doomsday articles and headlines out there right now. News outlets are making money off of clicks, which is why their hysteria is not helping anything right now. Please be careful regarding what you are reading. After hours of sifting through hysterical articles on Facebook, you could be subconsciously upsetting your brain.
While it’s important to make sure you are informed and up-to-date, you should also be thoughtful about what you are reading and how much you are reading. Staying off of social media or limiting the time you spend on it today will be beneficial for your mental health tomorrow. You should also limit the number of articles you read, for how long you read them every day, and make a mental note on which kinds of publications upset you the most.
Instead, put down the smartphone and focus on what you are doing right now. Clean your home, organize your closet, launch a small business online, or play with your kids. Focus on the present, the here and the now, and what your home is enduring in that specific timeframe.
Don’t be afraid to practice mindfulness with your children, either. Kids don’t judge. They will be open to that kind of training and happy to do anything with you.
Maintain Some Routine
Whether this involves going for a run at 6AM and putting on a nice outfit and makeup at 8AM for some normalcy, or meal prepping all morning for your family, be sure to establish some kind of routine you stick with through social distancing. Our brains are happier with some kind of predictability each and every day.
Check Up On Your Kids
Kids don’t always process anxiety in an obvious way. You need to be looking for different varieties of anxiety in your children. It can look like:
- Constant need for assurance from you
- Overall separation anxiety if you go into another room
- Stomach aches and headaches
- Irritability and moodiness
- Tantrums
- Trouble sleeping
Be sure to point-blank ask your kids how they are feeling that day. If you have a teenager in the house, talk about yourself first and your own fears so they feel more open to sharing their concerns with you.
Providing Support Going Forward
This COVID-19 time period is not easy on anyone. Here are some final tips for maintaining a calm and relaxed household right now:
- Provide structure in your kids’ day. Have dinner at the same time every night, establish a chore list still, and impose video game time limits, etc.
- Avoid too much reassurance. Kids are more perceptive than you might realize. If you spend too much time reassuring them, they will be able to tell you are just as scared and nervous as they are.
- Maintain a natural calmness that everyone will be able to detect. Kids can tell if you are anxious. Therefore, work on yourself first.
- Look for the silver linings. Share the good news with your family. Talk about emerging industries, recoveries, etc. There’s no reason to see the glass half empty right now.