Various stressors, inevitably compound the Corona pandemic anxiety: uncertainty about the future, bereavements, financial issues, to name a few. Worsening anxiety will not make anything better and rather do more harm, so it helps to be calm as best one can! How can this be done?
Catch the thought that is specific to the distressing feeling. It’s usually a phrase or sentence that keeps repeating itself, troubling the mind and rousing fear. Confront it, it’s a bullying thought!
Address the thought. It needs to be labelled. Is it helpful or dreadful? Allowing unhealthy thoughts to stay is like deliberate self harm. Therefore address the thought so you can post it where it belongs, trash can or treasure chest. This is not denying an issue that may need addressing, like a relationship or financial problem, but recognizing and dealing with detrimental thoughts.
Let the thought go if unhealthy or unhelpful. Write it on a piece of paper and put it in the trash can, or on tissue paper and flush it to go where it belongs. Helpful thoughts should be let in to stay and nurture the mind. It may help to write down replacement thoughts. Trash “I am doomed/rubbish…” with “I need help to deal with this.” Extra help may be required to deal with some harmful thoughts, like talking to a friend or getting professional help to put the distress to an end. Remember, stubborn weed often needs extra help to be uprooted!
Make a plan! Failure to plan is planning to fail!What have I found helpful / unhelpful. Think of healthy strategies that you have found helpful and make a list. Listening to healthy music, talking to a friend, exercise… Exercising these strategies regularly strengthen your mind muscles to deal with unhealthy thoughts, like strengthening the immune system. If this happens again, what will I do?
Doing nothing increases the chance of the bird building its nest, hatching its eggs and breeding more birds over one’s head! #keepCALM
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