Reflections on Anxiety during a Pandemic
what we do individually impacts us all collectively.
The air this particular morning, while I sat in my garden with my cup of tea, was exquisite. Pure and crisp, the breeze whispered through the citrus tree and kissed my face. I heard the kookaburras laughing and realised the traffic noise was less than usual. As I became drawn into the moment, a sense of gratitude wafted over me like gossamer and my heart gave a little skip of joy. It occurred to me later, that I was fully present and I realised that I had moved out of my state of anxiety into one of peace.
Like many people I have talked with, my initial reactions to the onset of COVID-19 were shock at the rapid spread of the pandemic, closely followed by anxiety when I considered the repercussions of its impact.
These initial intense feelings have slowly unfolded into the reality of needing to manage my emotional and mental health. This article is my way of sharing some of the things I have found helpful, in the hope that you may find something useful here as we all navigate this unique and unsettling time in our lives.
At the beginning, my shock and anxiety paralysed me. Without realising it at the time, I fed this panic with my endless social media scrolling and listening to every update the government gave us. Once I decided to take charge of the amount of information I fed myself, I felt a sense of calm descend upon me. I now only read articles that I find encouraging and supportive. I listen to the news once a day. This is liberating me to be more productive with my time. The spin off from this is the satisfaction of completed projects and gratitude for the opportunity to do them.
With the virus pandemic affecting people around the globe, there is an associated pandemic of apprehension and angst. Among the many problems associated with anxiety is the fact that it feeds off itself, which means that the more we plug into it, the greater it becomes for others and us. Paul Scanlon calls fear and anxiety ‘terrorists’ because of the way these emotions course through us like ‘suicide bombers’, creating havoc and mayhem. (https://www.facebook.com/PaulScanlonUK/videos/138118990957469/?v=138118990957469)
Without control, anxiety can escalate into panic attacks, affecting our body’s biochemistry. It can become our default mode. The good news is that we can take back control; it will require conscious and persistent effort on our part but it is worth our tenacity. We need to make conscious choices to alter the unconscious response of stress and inner-torment. Because stress is driven by our autonomic nervous system, we cannot merely decide to stop it. We are created with the ability to unconsciously react from either a fight or flight mode. Problems arise when we never relax from these automatic positions, which is what happens during times of elevated stress like now. It has been proven that the best way to make these changes is to control our breath.
I have found it helpful, when I begin to feel the debilitating effects of angst, to put my hands on my stomach and concentrate on breathing into that area. I ensure that the out-breath is long and slow, because this is how we can change our stress response. Breathing long and slow tells our body that we are safe, that there is no danger for us to run away from.
Recently, a dear friend contacted me, as part of her network, to collect non-perishable food for the homeless. I have noticed that as soon as we turn our attention to how we can help others, it alleviates anxiety. Our minds can only focus on one emotion at a time, so the elevation that our spirits get when helping others can be beneficial to our own wellbeing. It’s a win-win situation.
The manner in which each of us navigates this challenging time will determine our outcomes. I don’t necessarily mean tangible projects completed, although these give a wonderful sense of purpose. What I’m referring to, are the ways in which we respond to our circumstances, move through them and come out the other side. Most of us have not personally experienced anything like this pandemic, so this is unchartered waters for us. We are in this together and this thought can be comforting. The feelings we are each experiencing are likely being experienced by someone else. None of us are alone, despite our household isolation. Self-care has never been more important than now because what we do individually impacts us all collectively. Let’s be kind to each other and ourselves; be grateful for all small mercies and grace. Allow ourselves to feel somber without falling victim to anxiety’s stranglehold. This time will pass, but we all need to ride this storm in ways that allow us to come out the other side knowing we lived through it in the best way we knew how, with compassion.
self-care has never been more important than now because
what we do individually impacts us all collectively.
If you are experiencing severe anxiety, there are professionals available for you to talk to at: (in Australia)
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
Lifeline: 13 11 14