You’re feeling anxious, fearful, overwhelmed. Perhaps you’re being bombarded with an endless stream of information about COVID-19, perhaps your whole routine has been disrupted. You’re anxious about having to spend lots of time alone, and there’s a pit of uncertainty living in your body. The fact is, we are hard wired to feel anxiety and fear when we perceive a threat to our wellbeing, especially when it’s on such a global scale. So, yes, your anxiety makes sense, and you’re not alone in that.
Whether you are a student, a professor, a healthcare worker, a parent, or small business owner, chances are your daily life routine has been massively disrupted with all of the closings and “social distancing” recommendations. You may be feeling anxiety about contracting the virus or having a loved one contract it. You’re feeling a deep sense of uncertainty; how long will I be out of school, off work, restricted to my own home? How will I pay my rent if I don’t work? How will I receive the mental health support that I need? You’re likely feeling some of these things or even more. So, how can we protect our mental health in the midst of all of this anxiety and uncertainty?
One of the most effective tools you can use for anxiety and uncertainty is to challenge yourself to remain in the present; in other words, stay grounded here and now. It might sound strange, or too difficult to practice right now, but I encourage you to try this simple exercise.
Sit comfortably, somewhere where you can be alone and quiet for a couple of minutes. Close your eyes and begin to focus your mind on your breath. Without judging your breath or changing it, just notice how it feels. Notice how the air feels coming in and out of your nose, notice how your belly rises and falls with each breath. Notice the rate and the quality of your breath. Next, tune your attention to the rest of your body. Start to notice how your feet feel on the ground. Notice how your legs feel pressed against the chair. Notice how your bottom feels in the seat. Move up your whole body, just noticing the sensations you feel in this moment. If you’d like to keep going, follow along… Now that you are in a grounded and mindful state, begin to speak kindly to yourself. You can say, “I may not be able to control this situation, but I am in charge of how I react.” “All I need to do is take this one step at a time, breathe, and then take the next step.” “This is tough, but so am I.” At any moment, if thoughts or feelings pop in, simply acknowledge their existence (“I am feeling anxious” “I am worried about my mom”, etc.) and return your attention to your breath as we did earlier. Do this for a few minutes, ending with some deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.
Grounding exercises like this one are best to practice a few times a day until you feel more comfortable with it. If you don’t have a quiet space to practice this, say you’re home with wild children, roommates, or something of the like, you can still practice grounding techniques. We can engage our five senses to help us stay in the present moment and connect to ourselves and the world around us. Try the following exercise.
We’re going to engage all five senses deeply. For vision, find something in the room that is pleasant to look at. Notice the color, the shape, and the texture of the object. You could also light a candle and watch the flame. The goal is to engage your visual sense to the fullest. For hearing, listen to some soothing or invigorating music; really listen to each instrument and sound as it flows into your ears. Listen to the birds outside or other sounds of nature, such as the wind in the trees, rainfall, or leaves rustling. For smell, use some essential oil on your wrist or open a package of coffee and take a deep breath in. For taste, eat some of your favorite foods, savoring each bite and slowly tasting it to the fullest. Drink your favorite cup of hot tea or coffee and savor each sip. For touch, take a long hot shower or bath, savoring the feeling of the hot water on your skin. You can also pet your dog or cat and feel their soft fur on your hands.
You’re likely experiencing all sorts of emotions, as well as life challenges at this time. No matter what is happening for you right now, these exercises- at the very least- will help you keep your mind calmer and more decisive for dealing with this tough situation. Our emotions can be scary, but they are there for a reason. They inform us and assure us and help us know how we are doing at any given moment. They help us connect to reality and make sense of the world around us; and for that, they deserve our attention. These grounding exercises can help you experience your emotions bravely and face the challenges you’re being called to face.
As a therapist, I also understand that these techniques aren’t going to work for everyone or that they’ll work all the time. That’s okay too. Practice some basic self-care activities to help keep you mentally well. Some ideas for self-care are to eat nutritious food, mute the people and avoid the news that causes excessive anxiety, keep your body moving, go for a walk around your neighborhood, call your favorite friend or loved one. More ideas are to read a good book, take a bubble bath, do a puzzle, watch a TED talk, or do absolutely nothing and just allow yourself to be.
Finally, in the midst of social distancing and isolation, I am ever so thankful for technology. For those who struggle with substance abuse, you can find Alcoholic’s Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings online. Ask your therapist about conducting sessions via Telehealth if they are closing their offices. If you feel that you are just too overwhelmed and need extra support, you can call the Alachua County Crisis Line at 352-264-6789; they are available 24/7. You can also text the Crisis Text Line anytime at 741741 to receive text support from a real human.
It’s tough to know whether we, as a nation, are responding appropriately to this situation and the mountain of uncertainty is unsettling. My words of compassion to you are— be kind to yourself, know what you can control and what you cannot. All we can control right now is taking the necessary precautions as advised by the authorities and managing our emotions in effective ways. I sincerely hope I was able to help with the latter.
To find an online AA meeting: http://aa-intergroup.org/
To find an online NA meeting: https://virtual-na.org/
Alachua County Crisis Line: 352-264-6789
Crisis Text Line: Text 741741