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Coping with coronavirus: How to keep your anxiety in check

from The Star Press

Whether you’re practicing self-quarantine at home, checking news and social media constantly or struggling to find toilet paper, coronavirus and the stress that comes with it might be starting to feel real.

Local mental health experts from both IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital and Meridian Health Services say pandemic-type situations often cause anxiety and distress, whether an underlying mental health issue exists or not.

“Part of it is just the uncertainty of all of this,” said Linda Daniel, director of IU Health Ball Memorial’s Addiction Treatment and Recovery Center. “We will expect a lot of anxiety and distress, and we relate it to uncertainty, that’s just human nature.”

Their biggest piece of advice: keep it normal. Here’s how to do that:

Take a break from your phone

News and updates on COVID-19 seem to be endless, with new information almost every hour. If you’re working from home, chances are, you’re scrolling through social media or flipping through channels.

Daniel, also a psychologist at the hospital, said limiting looking at news and social media to twice a day, such as the morning and evening, can help.

Instead of taking in news from every outlet, choose two or three that are trustworthy, such as the CDC and Indiana State Government websites and your local newspaper.

“Stick with reliable news sources,” Daniel said. “There’s a lot on social media that is hearsay and rumor.”

Stay connected, but don’t let it take over daily activities, Clark said.

“Use meaningful engagement. Disengage from the news, and then connect with friends and family,” Clark said. “You can calm each other down by having fun and not focusing on the negative.”

Tracy Wheeler, vice president of community health at Meridian Health Services, said different types of media could be used as a way to relieve stress.

With many locations and venues forced to close, some are creating online content, including museums giving tours, bands playing music, trainers posting workout routines and zoos showing animals.

Create a routine

In order to stay sane while working from home, Daniel said it’s important to create a routine, even one similar to life at the office.

“I think, as this goes on, people will start to realize this isn’t just like a winter snow storm that comes and goes,” Daniel said. “Once they realize this is going to possibly be many weeks, that’s when people get more distressed and start to engage in unhealthy habits.”

Getting up at a regular time, scheduling meals, getting dressed, creating a workout routine and having a normal sleep schedule can all help, Daniel said.

Instead of working from the couch, set up a designated work area. Make sure it’s kept tidy and all the tools necessary are within reach.

Discover healthy new habits

With more time at home, there are more ways to keep healthy.

If exercise wasn’t part of your routine before, now is a good time to start, with many programs offering online exercise videos, Clark said.

This could also be the chance to try out new recipes in the kitchen and connect with family over a shared meal.

“Look at things that can help your body become more healthy,” Clark said. “It not only eliminates stress, but also, the virus itself. You want your immune system to be healthy.”

Lisa Suttle, regional vice president of clinical services at Meridian Health Services, said go back to basics. Continue washing your hands and cleaning counter tops and other surfaces.

“As long as those things are happening, people should feel confident they’re doing what they need to,” Suttle said.

Re-evaluate priorities

As sporting events and in-person classes are canceled across the nation, Daniel said people might start to feel resentment.

“I think is what’s going to lead to a lot of anger and frustration, especially when people realize some of these opportunities are never going to be available ever again,” Daniel said.

While checking for a fever is important, Daniel said, checking your emotional temperature is also key.

Ask yourself how you’re feeling and how that emotion can be processed, whether by talking with friends, family, a pastor or a therapist.

Clark and Daniel said a time like this provides an opportunity to go back to basics and to re-evaluate what is truly important in life.

Eating meals with family, spending time with kids and helping neighbors can help reconnect.

“This might be a time to reach out to others and take the focus off of ourselves too,” Daniel said. “That could give a little meaning to this.

If you have a mental health condition

For those with an underlying mental health condition, Daniel and Suttle said pandemic-type situations are even harder to cope with.

Keeping contact with a therapist or psychiatrist is a must, even if it’s just a phone call or telehealth visit.

“It’s very important we try to keep things as normal as possible for them,” Suttle said. “Enforce the same routine every day, get up and brush your teeth and other things like that.”

While face-to-face visits might not always be possible with COVID-19 restrictions, there are various websites and 24/7 hotlines that can help.

The Disaster Distress Helpline is 1-800-985-5990.

CDC resources: