THE GLASS IS HALF FULL

The last couple of months might have been quite stressful and confusing, especially while you had to get used to learning from the online system. Every news update and everyone you spoke to would have mentioned Covid 19 and its effects. Even if the virus did not directly affect you, closure of schools, public transport, restaurants and pubs might have made you feel anxious about the future.

However, the first and foremost thing for you to understand is that your feelings of anxiety are a normal response to an uncertain time. Hence you do not have to feel ashamed or worried about your feelings of anxiety. However, dwelling in these feelings for a long period of time is not healthy. Here are a few tips on managing your anxiety:

• Acknowledge your feelings of anxiety – Do not try to ignore or suppress the feelings that you are going through. As anxiety is a normal reaction of the mind and body, it is important to feel the emotions and feelings and tell yourself that it is all going to be ok.

• Fact check your information – There is tonnes of information circulating around the impact of the virus. Some of them have actually been known to be fake news. Hence it is important to make sure what news is factual, and what is not. Using government websites or reliable news feed is definitely recommended.

• Focus on the positives – As we have been hearing (thanks to sensational news media) about the impact of the virus in China and Europe, it is only natural for us to assume the worse. However we also need to realize that each country has it’s own strategy to fight this virus and we cannot just focus on the negatives alone. Start looking at the number of people that have recovered worldwide; the proportion of recovery is far greater than the proportion of deaths.

• Eat Healthy – There is a lot of research showing that eating healthy balanced meals can uplift your mood. Use this opportunity to cook fresh meals and try out new recipes. Keeping yourself busy and occupied while enjoying the process would enhance your emotions. 

• Stick to a routine – As human beings we function better when we stick to a certain routine and it reduces the feelings of anxiety. It is important for us to try and stick a routine as much as possible. Our daily activities would definitely be different than normal days. However, going to bed on time and getting up early morning and cooking breakfast in a timely manner would give you a purpose for the day.

• Stay fit – It is important for us to stay fit during this lockdown period in order to relax your mind and body. If you have a regular activity like running or walking it would be best to do it in a safe manner. If you are unable to go out for exercises, you could probably do them indoors in front of a television. There are plenty of fun and exciting exercise videos online that could be done indoors. 

• Bond with family – This is the best time to bond and connect with your family. We are so used to a machine life where we have been really busy and up until now we would never have been able to just sit indoors with our loved ones. With spring around the corner, you could try new things and play games with your children and family.

Finally, one needs to understand that the situation is unforeseen and future is unclear. However focusing on simple things in your daily life and learning to appreciate the time that you have with your loved ones can make this time period less difficult and memorable. We should learn to look at our cups as half full than half empty.

Links to further tips and tools

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips/

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/coronanxiety-support-resources/