STRATEGIES FOR COPING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID19) PANDEMIC

coronavirus-coping-anxiety-stress-lonliness-conflict-sophie-edwards

ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL WHILST SOCIAL DISTANCING AND SELF ISOLATING

ESTABLISH A NEW ROUTINE
This is one of the best ways of adapting to a new set of circumstances so get a weekly planner out and map your week. If you usually visit your parents on a certain day of the week, set up a skype call instead. Usually go to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays? Get on YouTube for home workout or follow a live workout online.

DON’T EXPECT TOO MUCH OF YOURSELF
While routine can really help us, it's also fine if you find yourself unable to follow it. You need to find out what works for you. ⁠Remember, lockdown has only been happening for a few weeks so no one should feel under any pressure to have it ‘mastered’ yet.

THIS ROUTINE IS GREAT:

Wakes up at 7am
Has three healthy meals and snacks
Does a home workout
Goes out for their daily walk
Has Skype, Zoom and House Party Groups
Clears out a cupboard
Has an early night

THIS IS ALSO GREAT:

Sleeps in late
Eats whatever they fancy and have available
Rests
Spends half an hour looking out of the window
Texts a friend to say they are OK
Gets through the day
Stays up late watching Netflix

Whatever you are doing to keep yourself safe is fine, there is no need for ‘competitive isolation’ which can make people who are struggling feel worse. If you are struggling with feelings of depression or anxiety you should contact their GP or local mental health service but if you are just a bit less productive than usual that is completely normal and there is no need to beat yourself up.

MANAGING ANXIETY AND UNCERTAINTLY DURING CORONAVIRUS

TRY TO THINK RATIONALLY ABOUT THE ACTUAL THREAT
The actual threat of the virus is fairly low at an individual level, we just need to do what we can to protect ourselves and others. Avoid reading information from unreliable sources who may exaggerate dangers and cause more anxiety.

TRY TO FOCUS ON THE PRESENT AND NOT THE END POINT
This situation WILL end but we don’t know when or how yet. Try to focus on daily and weekly tasks rather than dwelling on the long term. Mindfulness is a great way of staying present and there are some good apps that have mindfulness practices available. ‘Headspace’ and ‘Calm’ are my favorites.

IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO MANAGE TO ANXIETY GET HELP
All IAPT services are still running so look up your local one if you need it. They will be in demand at the moment though so expect a wait. If you need help more quickly you can pay for telephone or online counselling but ensure you use a qualified individual. ‘Better help’ is a good service that only use appropriately trained practitioners or look at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) website for a list of registered therapists.

TRY TO AVOID NEGATIVE COPING STRATEGIES
There is a lot of social media at the moment about using alcohol to cope with social distancing and whilst drinking in moderation is OK, alcohol actually increases stress and anxiety the day after we drink so is not recommended as a way of dealing with emotions. And, contrary to some memes I have seen, it will not kill the virus! It actually lowers immunity which is not what we want at the moment.

DEALING WITH THE LACK OF MOTIVATION DURING COVID-19

Motivation can go out of the window whilst so much is going on in the world. Tasks can either feel insurmountable or insignificant or we may have the sense that there is so much time ahead of us to do all that we need that we put it off indefinitely.

MAKE A LIST OF MANAGEABLE TASKS TO HELP BOOST SELF-EFFICACY
One tip would be to make a list of easy tasks that you would like to complete over the coming weeks- things like cleaning out a cupboard, going through your wardrobe, clearing your inbox etc. Have this list handy and when you are feeling particularly lethargic, whip it out and do one task. This can stimulate a sense of achievement and your self-efficacy that can help you go on to do bigger, more challenging work projects.

START JOURNALING TO REFLECT ON YOUR LACK OF MOTIVATION
Journaling can also be a good tool to help create a sense of purpose. Write about how you are feeling and acknowledge all you have achieved each day. Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t do all you set out to but reflect on why this may be and plan how you are going to overcome barriers.

COPING WITH LONLINESS

If you are self isolating or social distancing by yourself, with people you don’t connect with or are spending large amounts of time on your own, feelings of lonliness can creep in.

HAVE DAILY VIDEO CALLS WITH YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY OR LOVED ONES
The next best thing to in-person interactions are interactions on video chat, because you can still see your loved ones and see facial cues, body language and other nonverbal forms of communication all of which are important for bonding and maintaining relationships. If you have an aversion to phone call or video chat, you could also leave your loves ones video notes or voice notes.

FOCUS ON FILLING YOUR TIME WITH THINGS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL HAPPY
If you’re feeling up to it keep your brain occupied and challenged. If not, watch your favourite TV show or film, read a book, practice yoga or mindfulness - whatever you need to do to make your heart feel happy and full.

REMEMBER IT ISN’T FOREVER

As I mentioned earlier, remember this isn’t forever and you’ll be able to be reunited with your loved ones before you know it.

LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO OTHERS

Whilst social distancing can feel lonely, paradoxically, if we are at home with our family or flat mates, being with them all day every day can feel suffocating. This can lead to tension, arguments and conflict. There are things you can do to ease this:

ESTABLISH SOME GROUND RILES
Little annoyances like not washing up can be magnified in this situation so get together to make some guidelines you all stick to in order to avoid unnecessary arguments.

MAKE SOME SPACE FOR YOURSELF
Have a room that you can go to to be alone when things are getting on top of you.

PRACTICE TOLERANCE
Before criticising others take a breath and ask yourself- ‘Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said now? Does this need to be said by me?’. We are not good at communicating effectively when we are angry so stepping back and waiting until we are calm and then having an honest, relaxed conversation about our frustrations will be much more effective.

Stay safe everyone and look after yourselves and your loved ones, it’'ll be over before we all know it. If you’d like to chat or read more advice from me, head on over to my socials - you can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!