We often stress about things beyond our control — it’s a human response.

What can we do to stop the viral spread of stress and anxiety?

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

We’re getting prepared and stressing out.

Many of us are getting prepared to adjust to the weeks ahead. It’s a natural response when changes are happening — to be ready when things are out of our control. However, our need to be fully prepared for quarantine and potential lockdown is inviting in a surplus of stress and anxiety. Is that helpful?

Anxiety and stress increase when things are out of our control. Much research has shown that high levels of stress and anxiety weaken our immune systems. That’s right, our immune systems. Our immune system is what we are all protecting in the long run.

Our need to be in control is emotionally stunting and contagious.

We have been to the grocery store multiple times for food and basic needs. We keep hearing that stores are running out of food. Everyone else is freaking out, so we should be too. It’s viral. We don’t want to be home without something.

We’ve placed orders online and checked the delivery dates obsessively to make sure it arrives on time. It’s an attempt at practicing social distancing but making sure we still have all the “things.” The out of stock items are just feeding into the widespread panic that we aren’t going to be ready. This panic is creating more stress, anxiety, and fear.

Screen time and access to social media for updates amplify our stress. We don’t want to miss a thing and be that person who was not aware of a relevant headline — the person who was not prepared for the worst. The information overexposure is inducing anxiety and stressing us out.

It’s a shared human response that is spreading like wildfire. But how prepared can we be if stress and anxiety are escalating day by day?

We want to be in control. We like control.

It’s a natural response to want to know more when things are beyond our control, but we are inviting in high amounts of anxiety and stress at the same time. Just as there are efforts to contain the spread of the virus, we need to make extra efforts to control the anxiety contagion in our own minds.

Most of us are as prepared as we can be, but still worrying ourselves sick. It’s time to stop and focus on being calmer and engaging in healthy behaviors that will help us be confident and cope well as we get through the weeks ahead.

10 things you can do to stop the viral spread of stress and anxiety.

Our choices and behaviors have a direct influence on our emotional state. Solution Focused Brief Therapy believes that if we focus on what we’d like going on instead of focusing on present issues, we can reach a healthier state quickly. Our brain is on our side if we engage in desirable, preferred behaviors. Rather than hyper-focusing on preparing and knowing every detail, here’s a list of actions you can do to help stop the viral spread of anxiety and stress:

1. Choose your words wisely; your experience has a lot of power. Don’t contribute to panic. There are plenty of people out there sharing their fears, concerns, and overwhelm. This in itself is contagious and directly influences our thoughts, putting us on alert. Choose to share about what’s going well, how this time at home has perhaps been a help for quality time with your family or a much-needed break. No one likes what’s going on, but it’s important to share a state of calm and meaningfulness.
2. Stay active. Dance, clean, keep moving. Many are choosing to socially distance themselves, while others are being in quarantine. Don’t spend your day in your pajamas working remotely on your couch. Be sure to take active breaks if you are working from home. Have a healthy posture if you’re working in a sedentary state. Take advantage of being at home by getting up and walking outside for a few minutes of fresh air. Grab a healthy snack and some water. Keep moving, your body will love you for it, and your immune system will respond better.
3. Meditate. Meditation is a brain game changer. Research has shown that meditations allow our brains to process emotions and thoughts better. It slows down reactiveness, giving us more control of our overall state and choices. Start your day with a quick 10-minute meditation using apps like Headspace or Calm.
4. Social Media Boundaries. If you’re excessively checking Twitter for updates or scrolling Facebook for your friend’s 10th post on which grocery store is out of items, just stop. Choose to give yourself some boundaries if you want an update. This can look like setting a timer of 10 minutes or so. Another option is to limit the time of day to only mornings or evenings. If there is breaking news that everyone needs to know about immediately, it will get to you, trust me.
5. Stay connected socially. Although social distancing is critical right now, that does not mean you have to cut off social interactions. Stay connected with your friends and family members with video calls, texting, and other means online. Share your day with each other, maybe set up a FaceTime dinner date. You don’t have to stop interactions with your loved ones, just get digitally creative.
6. Establish a workspace versus relax space in your home. Our homes are generally a place of relaxing and winding down. It’s easy to get sucked into the feeling some cabin fever and wanting to escape. Set up a place in your home that is your established workspace. This way, it’s obvious where you work and where you get to relax. If you spend all day working from your couch or bed, you will likely feel lethargic and sluggish. Anxiety and stress and even feeling of depression love lethargy.
7. Get to that home to-do list. Set a timer; choose a task. It’s not clear how long you may be home, at least a week. Sneak out that to-do list that you’ve wanted to get through. Choose a task and decide how much time you want to spend on it. Set the timer. You’re going to feel so accomplished when you see how many things you can get done when you give it time and space in your day.
8. Get out of the house. Go for a walk. Practice healthy social distancing. As human beings, we are social creatures. It’s important to stay socially connected, but it’s also just as important to get out and get some fresh air. A quick walk or jog around the block will help ease stress and anxiety. Sunlight is a great mood enhancer.
9. Create a schedule. Have awake time and bedtime. I saw a post earlier that said social distancing is not a snow day, and I couldn’t agree more. People are working from home and will have to maintain a particular schedule of work hours. Having a clear morning routine, workday, and nighttime schedule will help you feel in control of your time. If you had to think about spending the day at home in an ideal way, with a work/life balance, what might that look like? List it out and fit it into a schedule. Stick to it, and you will thrive because you are in control of your day.
10. Stay hydrated, eat, and sleep well. Again, being at home doesn’t mean you are on vacation. Basic needs like nutrition, hydration, and restfulness have an impact on our brains and minds. If you want to feel well, stay positive, and have the energy to take care of these basic needs. Your stockpile of food may be lots of nonperishables, but it’s essential to get a balanced meal to stay energized and have healthy cognitive functioning. Staying in control of healthy snack and meal choices can help decrease overall stress.

Things may be closing down, but you can be in control of yourself and your emotional state. Our minds feed off what we expose it to. Stay informed and be in a healthy emotional place. Practice these ten things that will help you overcome stress and anxiety and share them with someone in your life who can benefit during this time.

- Jessica Demla, LPC, is a psychotherapist working in private practice in Dallas, Texas. www.uptowncounseling.org