12 Ways to Deal With Stress in Coronavirus Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has a notable impact on our lives. Many people face challenges that can be stressful and cause strong emotions. All of us including children are affected by Coronavirus Pandemic. All the health guidelines such as following social distancing have become necessary to reduce the spread of coronavirus. However, it can make us feel lonely and isolated and increase anxiety stress.

Below are given some symptoms a person can exhibit if he/she is stressed during Coronavirus Pandemic:

Stress Can Cause:

• Frustration, anger, sadness, fear, numbness, feelings of fear
• Changes in energy, appetite, interest, and desires
• Nightmares or trouble sleeping
• Body ache, headache and stomach problems
• Trouble in decision making and concentrating
• Increased consumption of alcohol, tobacco etc.
• Increased chronic health problems.

It is natural to feel sadness, anxiety, fear and stress during a pandemic. Learning to deal with stress in a healthy way will make you, your loved ones and the people around you stay stronger.^{(1, 3, 5)}

Here are some genuine ways to deal with stress and maintain a positive mood during coronavirus pandemic:

1. Exercise in Any Way:

   The most important thing to pay heed to in this pandemic is to take care of your body. Do exercise daily, especially yoga and immunity booster poses. Yoga and stretching exercises help you relax your mind and stay fit. Aerobic exercise can be done inside the house such as climbing stairs, walking and running. Playing with children is also helpful in burning lots of calories.

   Exercise helps in maintaining a positive attitude by boosting your mood. Watch YouTube videos or join any online fitness class so you easily exercise in the comfort of your home.^{(3, 4, 5)}

2. Take A Break From Negative News:

   Listening to negative news continuously can have a bad effect on your mind. Take a break from listening, reading and watching news on TV or social media. It is necessary to be well-informed, but hearing about pandemic all the time can be annoying. Limit the news to a few times a day and temporarily turn off your TV, laptop or mobile.

   Especially when it comes to children, make sure you only let them know the news appropriate for them.^{(2, 3, 5)}

3. Connect With Other People:

   During this time of fear and uncertainty, it is important to connect with other people. Talk to a trustable person about your worries and how you feel. But avoid meeting anyone; talk over calls or chats only and talk about positive things. Staying in touch with your family members and friends is very important during the time of social distancing. Helping others deal with their fears via video call or phone call can make you and them feel strong and less lonely. It will also help you to decrease your fear and be informed on how to deal with the situation.^{(2, 4)}

4. Take Enough Rest:

   The fear caused by the news and information can cause a lack of sleep. Taking 7-8 hours of sound sleep will help reduce stress. It will help you stay focused throughout the day.^{(2, 4)}

5. Have A Healthy Diet:

   Excessive stress can lead to overeating or an unhealthy diet, which negatively impacts your metabolism. Avoid emotional eating by identifying your triggers and being alert to cravings. Eat a healthy and balanced diet, especially increase the intake of vitamin C in your diet. Keep healthy snacks handy like nuts, a bowl of fruits, or other things like that. Keeping your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day can help regulate your emotions and mood. Also, eating a nutritious diet helps in boosting your immune system which is most essential in this pandemic.^{(3, 4, 5)}

6. Limit The Consumption Of Caffeine and Alcohol:

   Avoid excessive consumption of tobacco, alcohol etc. Avoid having caffeinated drinks just before sleeping at night. Instead drinking a cup of decaffeinated herbal tea or taking a shower before bed is recommended. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to hydrate your body well.^{(1, 2, 3)}

7. Maintain A Good Hygiene:

   Try to maintain hygiene around you and follow suggested precautions. Keep your floors and other surfaces clean and sanitize them when needed. Make sure you shower every day and follow a hygiene routine.^{(2, 4)}

8. Express Yourself:

   Expressing yourself can overcome negative feelings. Find something that works best for you. You can choose to write, keep a scrapbook, start a blog or record a video. You can write in parts on a daily basis as it is stress-relieving and gives you something to look forward to each day.^{(3, 4, 5)}

9. Be Organized:

   Try to be organized as much as possible. Starting or completing small tasks can make you feel like you have accomplished something. It can also lead to some changes in your home that you may have always wanted but just didn’t have time to do. Also, plan your next day before you sleep at night. This practice will help relieve stress and decrease the feeling of uncertainty.^{(2, 4)}

10. Help Others:

    If you can help needy people by offering medicines or food, don’t hesitate to do that. When you go out for essentials, you can also help elderly or sick people who can’t get out. Make sure you and other people around are wearing masks. Also, keep your sanitizer handy if you are out somewhere. Helping others calms your mind and gives you a sense of fulfilment.^{(2, 3)}

11. Keep Yourself Entertained:

    Binge-watching series or TV shows can make you busy and entertained. So, sit down and be prepared to devote hours of your life to other people’s drama. If you have children at home, play cartoons or kids movies and laugh with them. Take time to relax. Try some activity that you enjoy. You can even download multiplayer games which let you do a video conference with friends and family and play simple online games like vocabulary games, quiz or trivia. That way, you will make sure to spend and have fun with your loved ones and stay busy.^{(2, 3)}

12. Discover Your Hidden Talents:

    Do you always have something hidden in your mind and heart? It is the time to see how that desire comes to life. Be patient and start with some basic steps to discover your potential hidden talents. Take up hobbies like trying new recipes, preparing something, planting flowers, painting, dancing, singing – whatever you always wanted to do but couldn’t do due to lack of time.^{(2, 3)}

    Simple steps like these can help you regain your normal feelings and deal with stress in this pandemic. Try to keep other people, especially elders and children, focused and calm.

    If you can’t manage your fears on your own after all the efforts, contact a counsellor. Make sure you don’t take too much stress as it will affect your immunity.

In today’s time when we all are living in a pandemic due to a virus, it is likely to feel increased levels of panic and stress. The news related to the coronavirus keeps coming up and the information can be terrifying and shocking. One can experience fear and anxiety due to many situations, for example, doing all the chores while keeping children busy all day inside the house, taking care of family members or at-risk patients, trying to be at home the whole day, organizing everything and maintaining hygiene or just adapting to new situations. In this situation, stress can build up and affect you and your loved ones both psychologically and physically. Taking care of yourself can help you prepare to care for others.

Even after trying many healing things, if you are having a hard time dealing with this pandemic, you should seek medical help. Call your doctor if stress interferes with your daily activities for several days in a row. To utilise your time, just clean up, rearrange your stuff, read a novel or solve a puzzle.

When people are very stressed for a long time, they can even think about committing suicide. Suicide is preventable and there are people to help you out. Talk to a psychiatrist if you feel suicidal at any point of time.

Follow up with routine precautions such as vaccinations or screening of any other health issue recommended by your doctor. Get your COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.

References:

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• How Do You Test For Coronavirus?
• Can Face Mask Protect Against Coronavirus?
• Is Coronavirus Curable?
• What Does Coronavirus Do To Your Body?
• How Long Will Coronavirus Live On Surfaces Or In The Air Around You?
• Can You Get Coronavirus Twice?
• Should I Travel During The Coronavirus Disease Outbreak?