It goes without saying that this pandemic has brought many challenges for all of us. Going for an outing, for a dinner or hugging a friend seems like a luxury of a past life. At the beginning of the year, this was almost unthinkable. With changes in the way we are living, life is taking a toll on all of us.
With many of us quarantined inside of our homes, news reports, with an increase in the number of COVID cases, are causing fear in the minds of people. The pandemic is a part of our conversations, newsfeeds, and internet browsing – where everyone is searching for information around the virus.
All this uncertainty is triggering a fear response. Here are 7 ways to cope up with your Coronavirus Fears.
Practice Self-Compassion
If you don’t love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others. – The Dalai Lama
Be gentle with yourself. Don’t overthink situations that are beyond your control. Love and appreciate yourself for the things you have done till now. Embrace your life. Spend some time thinking about life, the moments that cheer you up. You not only have a responsibility for yourself, but also for your family members who are dependent on you.
Stay Connected Virtually
Though it is not possible to meet and connect with friends and family members living far away, connecting with them is still easy. Pick up your phone, call them, or get on a video call with them. Human connection is very important at this time. Try to avoid conversations around COVID. Discuss the happy moments you had together and appreciate each other. Having positive conversations with your loved ones will have a calming effect on you, your family and friends.
Take breaks from Virtual World
Avoid an overload of information pertaining to COVID. Constantly watching negative news will fuel your fear. Take a break from social media and the virtual world when you can. Spend quality time with your family by cooking, playing indoor games, watching funny movies, or just talking about life with each other. Being together with those you love will strengthen your family bond and show them how much you care.
Help Each Other
The best thing we can do at this time is to help and support others. People around you are also facing the same challenges as you. Talk with them and try to make them feel better by offering your support. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask for it. Helping and supporting each other develops compassion that will help us to better fight COVID, together.
Start Meditation for relieving Stress
Meditation not necessarily prevents stress, but it can help you recognize the signs of impending stress and take measures to dissipate it before it becomes overwhelming. The mindfulness you gain from meditation will help you identify your body’s stress signals while the meditation itself will help you prevent a full-blown attack.
By simply closing your eyes, taking deep breaths and refocusing your thoughts, you can stop your body’s fight-or-flight response and return to a calmer state of mind.
Develop a Positive Mindset
Maintaining a positive mindset can help you live a healthy life. Numerous studies have established that people who are generally optimistic about life enjoy better health and a better quality of life than those who aren’t. Positive thinking doesn’t mean keeping your head in the clouds and naively ignoring life’s unpleasant situations.
It just means that you approach situations in a more positive and productive way. Push back your negative thoughts, surround yourself with positive people, stay open to humour, and carry out things that bring you pleasure.
This is NOT PERMANENT
Always remember, this situation isn’t going to last forever. This shall pass soon. Again, we will be able to go for an outing, dinner, shopping with family, and visit loved ones. Until then, take care of your mental as well as physical well-being.
As we move forward, if we follow these methods to stay away from fear, we will feel more energetic and start living with a more positive mindset. Make yourself and your happiness, health, wellbeing a priority, and stay safe.
