Channelling Your Anxiety and Coping- Taking Action to Heal

We feel more in control when we can plan and prepare for things. so to help with channelling your anxiety and coping. in these times we have put together some useful information to help.

We often feel anxious when events feel out of our control and when we think we don’t have the capacity or skills or ability to cope.

Rather than stewing about the situation we are in, it’s important to get accurate information about COVID-19,

Anxiety tricks us into thinking about the worst-case scenarios in vivid and frightening detail.

Another way to do this is to learn about how your anxiety triggers can be a helpful way to know how to plan your days.

Making Plans to Channel Your Anxiety.

Plan about how your family and you will cope and then prepare accordingly.

Instead of worrying, try your best to focus on what is under your control.

Equip yourself with the facts about COVID 19 from trusted sources.

Follow government advice and plan about what you and your family will do if you need to be in isolation or quarantine.

Be aware and plan as restrictions are eased and play safe…

Coping with Anxiety caused by COVID 19

When we are stressed it’s easy to see things as being worse than they really are.

Today’s nonstop media coverage is a great way to keep us up to date.

Limiting our intake on information from credible sources can still often create fear and alarm.

You can avoid this by keeping things in perspective by not underestimating your ability to cope.

Some Best Ways to Channelling Anxiety and Coping

#Keep calm

3 quick ways to help calm yourself:

1.Move

Physical activity or any movement is a great way to releasing the build up of excess energy that accompanies the acute stress and anxiety (fight or flight response).

Take yourself for a walk or run outside or do some stretching or yoga or some form of mindful movement.

Crank up some uplifting music and dance around the house for a few minutes.

2.Breathe

When you slow your breathing rate down the uncomfortable physical sensations of fear and anxiety start to subside.

Try the following: Stop what you are doing, take three long, slow deep breaths.  Impose a rhythm on your breathing so that your out-breath becomes longer than you’re in-breath. 

 Try a 4-2-6 rhythm – i.e. breathe for 4 counts, hold your breath for 2 counts, and breathe out for 6 counts.  If that does not feel comfortable, try  3-1-4 rhythm.

The main thing is that your out-breath is slightly longer than you’re in-breath.

3.Ground Yourself

Connect to what is happening in this moment right now and be more aware consciously of your senses.

Try these Ideas for coping with anxiety.

• Splash cold water on your face

• Take a hot (or cold) shower, make your shower longer.

• Cuddle your pet or babysit someone else’s if you have no pets

• Smell and/or diffuse a relaxing essential oil (e.g. lavender, geranium, ylang ylang)

• Take a moment to enjoy a cup of tea – really pay attention to the aroma and taste

Do one of the following short guided grounding exercises from the:

  ‘Stress Management’ program in the Smiling Mind App.

# Keep Yourself Occupied

Here are some ideas to keep your mind off things to lower your anxiety and coping with stress

• Create a new challenge
• Pursue your next job or career change.
• List your life goal or make a wish list
• Pursue a hobby you have been putting off for some time make a start.
• Make your work a game

Have a look at some more ideas here….

# Keep a Healthy Lifestyle

Becoming a healthier person isn’t about making one big change that affects the rest of your life.

It’s about making lots of small decisions over the course of your entire life.

These little things add up over the course of days, weeks, months and years.

You don’t have to try to overcome everything at once.

Here’s some tips to get on track:

Talk to your doctor

Before making any changes to your diet or daily level of activity, talk with your health care professional and GP.

Your doctor may even be able to recommend some helpful resources provided by the clinic or your GP’s recommendations.

Seeing your doctor before you implement changes is also a great way to track your progress.

You will be able to compare your test results a year from now and really see how you have improved a year from now.

Set a Sleep Schedule

Another simple tip for a healthy life is to get a good night’s sleep and to know how many hours suits your body.

For those with busy schedules this is easier said than done.

You can observe your sleep efficiency score, hours slept and how many times you’ve woken up using a fitness monitoring device.

Choose a Food Group

It’s hard to switch your entire diet overnight.

Choose a food group that has recently been left out of your diet. 

Maybe you haven’t been eating many fresh vegetables, look at what is in season and try some new ways of cooking vegetables.

Once you have mastered the habit of your selected food group, choose another one and work on ways to replace unhealthy snacks with more nutritious options.

Go for a Walk

Walking regularly is one of the easiest ways to say in shape.  It’s low impact exercise with lots of potential health benefits.

Also, walking can decrease your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Additionally, it can be a pick me up when you’re feeling depressed or lethargic.

If you don’t walk much in daily life, start small before working your way up to that goal of 10,000 daily steps the recommended daily amount.

Invest in a fitness device which you could use for your sleep as well.

# Keep in contact with Family and Friends

Mental health is just as important as physical health.

You don’t need to play mind games or solve puzzles to improve your cognitive health although those activities certainly help.

Give your friends a call during the week, reach out to someone who you may have not spoken to for a while and reconnect.

Socializing is the key to fighting Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Let It All Go

Even just for a moment see if you can let go of unnecessary worry and uneasiness.

It’s not about denying or pushing away the reality of the health crisis we are all grappling with.

Finding ways to give your mind and body a break by connecting with what is happening in this moment, right now.

Think about where you are right now that you are essentially ok, you have enough air to breathe, your heart is beating, stay in check when your feelings and your anxiety levels rising.

By consciously and deliberately connecting to a place of calm and safety inside, even if only momentarily, multiple times a day, you can help settle and soothe your nervous system.

This builds resilience making you more able to take sensible precautions without overreacting.

Coping with Anxiety COVID–19

Although we’ve already had weeks of restrictions and bans, it’s likely that there is still a lot of disruption to our daily lives coming up, and continued uncertainty.

UNSW Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor Jill Newby at the Black Dog Institute says that some anxiety can be helpful, and research has shown that people who worry are more likely to engage in behaviours that help minimise the fear and help keep others safe such as frequent handwashing and cleaning.

However, if you do start to feel a bit overwhelmed, A/Prof Newby shares some helpful tips on managing anxiety around COVID–19:

Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service

• Call 1800 512 348

• Chat online

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Suicide and crisis support

For immediate support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

If you are in an emergency, or at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others, please contact emergency services on 000.

You can use the BeyondNow app to create a suicide safety plan. Find out more about safety planning here.

Call 1800 512 348

24 hours / 7 days a week

If COVID-19 has you feeling concerned about your wellbeing, our dedicated coronavirus mental wellbeing support service is available any time of the day or night.

Based on your specific needs, our trained counsellors will provide advice and information, and will direct you where to turn for further support.