The Best 5 Ways To Cope With COVID-19 Anxiety
The past few months have been a stressful time for many people in the UK. Since the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China at the beginning of the year, the pandemic has now spread across the world, leading to a range of unprecedented measures that have been put in place in order to reduce the spread of the virus and protect the most vulnerable in society. After the national lockdown back in spring, the spread of the virus began to slow, but with the winter months fast approaching, we are seeing more coronavirus infections once again and the threat of further local lockdowns is leading to heightened anxiety for many people once again.
There are many reasons to be anxious right now. Loss of income, business closures, and the risk of catching the virus itself are just some valid reasons for worry. If you’re starting to feel particularly overwhelmed by the whole situation, here are some anxiety management tips that you may benefit from.
Consider Life Insurance
High death rates being regularly reported in the news might have caused you to consider your own life and what would happen to your family in the worst-case scenario. If you are considered high risk for coronavirus or have underlying conditions that would make it more likely for you to be seriously affected by the coronavirus, protecting your family in the event of this might be your first concern. On top of this, social distancing may be having a negative impact on your mental health. Consider anxiety life insurance from I’m Insured. I’m Insured provides quotes for mental health life insurance, depression life insurance, anxiety life insurance and other insurance policies from UK providers to individuals who might be rejected due to underlying health conditions. Their website also includes some helpful tips for looking after your mental health in the current situation.
See A Therapist
If your anxiety has started to affect your day-to-day life and is making it difficult for you to make the most of it under the current circumstances, you might benefit from speaking to a therapist. You can get a therapist through the NHS; however, if you would like to speak with somebody immediately, you have the option of either going private or trying to get treatment through a charity. While face-to-face therapy appointments might not be possible in certain areas of the country right now, many therapists are offering video call sessions or telephone sessions that you might find helpful. Speaking to a professional can help you put things into perspective and learn healthier coping mechanisms to make things easier on yourself during these difficult times.
Take A Break
During the national lockdown, there were tons of social media posts about being productive and getting things done. But while many people benefitted from using that time to learn a new skill or start their own business, this made others feel guilty for not being as productive. The truth is that we are facing a worldwide pandemic and if you don’t have the energy to start your own fashion line right now, there’s no need to feel bad about it. Everybody deals with anxiety and stress in different ways, so the main priority is being kind to yourself. If you need to take a break and just kick back and relax for a while, remember that spending time doing things that help you feel better is never wasted time.
Stay Social
Social gatherings might be banned in many areas of the country, but it’s important not to isolate yourself if you are staying at home to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus. Use social media, email, text message, video calling software and phone calls to keep in touch with your friends and family on a regular basis. While you might not be able to go out and enjoy a meal with family right now, come up with alternatives like meeting up over Zoom to enjoy your usual family traditions. If possible, meeting with family and friends outdoors is definitely worth making time for – just remember to stick to the rule of six.
Stick To The Guidelines
While you can’t make everybody stick to the guidelines and there are always going to be some people who ignore them, letting this affect you will only make your anxiety worse. The best thing that you can do for yourself is ensure that you are doing your bit to stick to the guidelines and keep yourself and everybody else around you safe in the pandemic. Adhere to the rule of six if meeting up with friends and family and wear a face covering if you are not exempt from doing so while visiting shops and using public transport. If you can work from home right now, doing so will likely help you to feel safer and alleviate some stress.
Feeling anxious is nothing unusual right now, with mental health seriously affected by the events around the world. Put yourself first and do what it takes to help yourself feel better while protecting yourself from the virus.
