Changes & How to Cope
The coronavirus pandemic represents the most sudden, drastic, and life-changing event that most people have ever experienced. This illness has not only taken lives, but it has stunned individuals and communities around the globe and mystified health experts, scientists, and physicians. In a matter of just a couple of months, our lives have changed.
Whether you struggle with mental health issues or not, the lifestyle changes due to social distancing requirements have led many people to experience significant emotional changes. Most of us go through a mix of emotions—from gratitude for our health and that of our loved ones, to fear of infection and stress due to being unable to return to work. Then there are the patients and their loved ones who have been directly impacted and are struggling with more serious emotional concerns.
For many people, social distancing means isolation and being confined to our homes for what is now weeks or months for some people. Anxiety, worry, panic, depression, grief, and even obsessions and compulsions are common symptoms among many people right now. In many respects, these feelings and emotions represent a normal reaction to shock and to fear of the unknown. Most of us have never faced so many unknowns along with so much confusion and doubts about our personal safety. It is important to understand that undergoing a sudden and unexpected change will test the emotional health of anyone.
Coping with the coronavirus requires our ability to adapt to changing conditions, to have hope, and to cultivate and strengthen our resilience. The initial transition to our new lifestyle is challenging, but with time, we do what human beings have done since the beginning of time as we know it: We adapt. We will all adapt to these changes and what’s even better is that we will grow stronger from this experience.
Major changes in life are always a precursor to new beginnings and better days ahead. Although it’s difficult to see the coronavirus pandemic from this perspective right now, with time we will find the greater purpose for our struggles.
In the meantime, it is critical to practice daily gratitude, to maintain our self-awareness as we navigate change, and to lend a helping hand to those who are in need. Let’s use this time to truly reflect on ourselves, on our priorities, and on what truly matters in life. Many of the material things and activities that used to distract us in the past are out of reach—this means that it’s time to look at ourselves and who we are in the absence of distractions.
What is most important of all right now is to maintain physical distance, but not necessarily social distance. We must redefine what socializing means and develop alternative methods of staying connected with family, friends, neighbors, and loved ones. We have never been more united as we are now. We are all sharing this experience, along with the fear and doubt that comes with it; just as we will all be survivors of the coronavirus pandemic together.
Helpful Coping Skills
Being required to stay indoors, away from the work and leisure activities that formed part of our everyday lives, presents many challenges to our emotional health. Even our relationships with the people we are quarantined with—our family members, partners, and/or loved ones—can be impacted during this time when we’re spending more hours, days, and weeks indoors and isolated from our responsibilities and distractions.
Below we will discuss some effective ways to cope, minimize stress, and make the best of these uncertain times.
- Make sure you do some type of exercise every day.
Social distancing requirements are pretty strict right now and it seems like we will have to get used to this way of life for a while. But just because you can’t go to the gym or take an exercise class doesn’t mean you have to stay sedentary either. In fact, skipping on exercise can make you feel very lethargic and can even impact your mood. Aim for 10,000 steps per day, which is equivalent to about 5 miles. This may sound like a lot movement every day, but if you stay on your feet and are active throughout the day, you should be able to meet this goal with ease if you add a jog or a walk, too. If you live in a highly populated area and you rather not step outside to exercise, look up some workout videos online or on YouTube. You can find everything from kickboxing to Yoga to aerobics classes and much more. You might have to push yourself a bit to get up and get a workout in your day, but you will feel less tense, much less stressed, and far more productive.
- Remember that hobby you never had time for?
Now is the time to get into a new hobby or activity. Your mind might be preoccupied with the news, stress related to the virus, or maybe even financial issues if you’re unemployed. This means that you will really need the soothing and relaxing effects of a hobby right now more than ever. Whether it’s cooking or artwork; music or writing; building something or doing crafts—engaging in a hobby will help take your mind off of stressors as you focus on a healthy, therapeutic task. The more you can engage your hands, the better since it is believed that doing manual tasks really helps alleviate emotional stress.
- Try to stick to a schedule or daily routine.
When the country pretty much shut down, the change was certainly alarming, but many people embraced the idea of being able to sleep in, not have to go to school, and/or take a break from work for a while—it’s like taking a sudden, unplanned vacation. Back when stay-at-home orders began, we didn’t know how long it would last. Now, over one month later, we know that this might go on for longer than we thought. After a while, sleeping, eating, and watching movies all day can get old. It can also make you feel very unproductive and give you a bit of the blues. To avoid the nowhere to go, nothing to do feeling from dragging you down, many people feel it’s helpful to stick to a schedule. This means getting up (with an alarm clock) early and going to bed at a decent time in the evening (i.e., not 3:00 am every night). If you can rise and retire at about the same time at least 6 days per week, it’s even better for you. Irregular sleep schedules can take a toll on your overall physical and emotional health. The same applies for establishing a daily routine of changing into regular clothes in the morning, starting your day with doing something productive, and leaving leisure time for a designated time of day. Even if you don’t have actual work to do at home, you can still be productive by learning something new and challenging your mind. Your body may be telling you to stay on the couch, but you’ll feel so much better at the end of another quarantine day if you’ve accomplished something that you normally don’t get a chance to do when you’re working or going about your usual activities. All it takes is a little planning ahead and discipline and you can really maximize this time spent at home. Things will get back to normal gradually and we don’t know if we will have an opportunity like this again when we can focus on ourselves and take a break of the fast-paced, hard working life that we lead.
