Managing Stress and Anxiety During Lockdown

managing stress and anxiety in lockdown

Since the novel Covid-19 virus has officially been declared a pandemic, things have taken a quick turn in a direction none of us anticipated. The entire world is fighting it together and social distancing is what we have to do now. It may come easier for introverts than extroverts, but being forced to stay inside can be hard even for introverts because of overwhelming anxiety and stress over this global health crisis. 

We are all learning to adjust to tough circumstances as a result and it's easy to fall through the cracks. The fact that we don't really know when our normal lives and daily routines will commence is especially hard for everyone, let alone those of us more prone to stress and anxiety. The situation is not ideal, but you can do your best to take care of your mental health in the meantime.

 Here's what you can try to make things just a little bit easier for yourself:

1. Avoid the News as Often as You Can
Following the news in these situations is what we tend to do without really thinking about it and how it could affect us. The problem is that things may be blown out of proportion if you're one to obsess about the latest updates and breaking news. 

It looks like for the time being things are getting worse before they are expected to get better, so following every single detail is definitely not great for your health. If you know yourself to be someone who obsesses over updates in times of crisis, force yourself not to go down that road. You could have your loved ones remind you or you could keep yourself busy with things you love to do as an alternative. 

2. Plan Your Day
Anxiety can jump to the roof when your mind isn't wired to know what the day ahead holds for you. It's important not to give your mind a chance to wander off and have you believe it's time to start panicking. So, every morning, whether it's a work-from-home day or the weekend, write down everything you plan on doing or want to do. 

From house chores and planning activities for the little ones to reading a book or catching up on your favorite TV series, create a list and you'll feel less stressed about your day. 
plan your day in lockdown

3. Exercise at Home
Exercising during these critical times is not just about staying fit, it's about releasing negative energy. When you exercise, your body automatically goes into letting go mode. Your stress and anxiety slowly disappear as you routinely exercise. 

You don't have to exercise for long hours and do especially hard workouts. There are endless exercises that last as little as 10 minutes a day available online for beginners. If you add that to your daily routine during lockdown, you will feel a huge difference across the board.

4. Rediscover Your Hobbies
We always complain about how we are busy, so eventually too tired to spend time on our hobbies. Now is the best time to do just that. Keeping busy discovering the little things you're passionate about you didn't have time for will bring you complete joy in these hard times. Whatever the activity, no matter how small or silly, do it—the sillier, the better actually! 
hobbies during lockdown

 5. Stay in Touch with Family and Friends
Don't let your anxiety convince you that you shouldn't reach out to your friends and family in times of need and, most importantly, to just have a chat! As someone whose family is on lockdown in a completely different country, this one hits home for me. I try to schedule video calls every day or every few days to just catch up. It makes a world of difference. 

6. Know That You Are Not Alone
Overthinking has a knack for convincing you that everything is happening to you and that you're the only one suffering. That is not true. We are all in this together. Even if some people don't show it, we all have moments of doubt, stress, anxiety, and depression. You can do this. 

7. Don't Pressure Yourself
Many posts have been circling social media since this whole thing started advising everyone to make use of their time in a productive way. Things like taking an online course and learning a new language are some of the examples. While that's good advice, it automatically makes the person who is not able to do so feel guilty. 

Yes, if you can do those things, kudos to you, please go ahead. However, if you can't because the situation is too overwhelming for you and you can't really focus on being productive and achieving a lot of different courses or cooking every meal that ever existed, it's okay too. You don't have to. 

If today all you did is spend some time with your family watching TV and eating everything in the house or not stopping the kids from eating everything in the house, don't feel guilty! 

These are unprecedented times and we're all doing the best we can. Stay home. Stay safe. And create good memories in the process.

By: Amal Ghali

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