10 Ways to Ease Anxiety During the COVID-19 Crisis

The challenges of COVID-19 are multifaceted. In addition to taking precautions to maintain our physical health, it’s also critical to pay attention to our mental health during these unprecedented times.

Being cooped up at home has its challenges, but also opportunities, especially if you are alone or without family. But social distancing doesn’t mean emotional distancing.

What can you do to stay connected (to yourself and others), feel productive and grounded during these unpredictable times?

Here are a few ideas that can help you cope during this crisis:

• Donate blood.

The Red Cross needs it in preparation for what’s coming. I just made an appointment to donate on April 20, a month from now. I felt better just registering to do it. Learn more on the Red Cross website.

• Seek humor.

What makes you laugh? Is it old SNL episodes? They’ve stopped recording new episodes for the moment, so maybe watching some of the old ones will fill the bill. Look online. Indulge in YouTube to find things that will make you smile. For those with Netflix or Amazon Prime, there’s no shortage of good content, whether movies, musicals, or TV shows.

• Move.

Go for a walk outside, unless you live in a city under lockdown. If you can go for a walk in nature, even better. And if you like to dance, there are Virtual Dance Parties online, as well as group singing together online. Google it! Artists are making these things happen and it’s helping bring people together in creative new ways.

• Communicate.

Talk to someone else in quarantine. You can do it online with a friend, through Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom. You can also participate in Quarantine Chat, a voice chat service started by artists Danielle Baskin and Max Hawkins last year, and talk to anyone, helping to minimize loneliness on both ends. Such a great idea!  

• Meditate.  

OK, I don’t do it every day either, although I aspire to. But if ever there was a time for us to calm ourselves, breathe, and focus on only that, even for two minutes, that can be enough to help in the moment. Do it periodically throughout the day, as needed; it’s free and readily available. And if you’d rather follow a guided meditation, there are zillions of free apps available. Google “free meditation for coronavirus” and you’ll find many choices.

Staying calm is important now, especially for those of us on a first-name basis with anxiety, even on a good day. But during an active pandemic? Stress triggers cortisol to run through our bodies, and that lowers our immune systems. No, we don’t want that right now, thank you.

• Pray.

Prayer works for so many. On Sunday, the Pope walked empty streets in Rome and went to a church to “pray before a crucifix that was used in a procession when the plague hit Rome in 1522”).

Ritualwell, a site for Reconstructionist Judaism, has a page where they are gathering poems, prayers and activities for comfort and hope during the coronavirus.

Alternate plan: the Serenity Prayer, always good in both easy times and difficult ones. Grant me the power to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

• Find treasures.

Pinterest has all kinds of wise, inspiring, calming quotes, like these.   

And whatever else interests you, you can find endless wonderful, surprising examples of human creativity and ingenuity here. I could spend hours on it and never get bored.

• Pets.

The unconditional love of a pet can be totally therapeutic. If you have one, hug it. If you don’t have one, consider it.

• Create.

Use your hands to make something. A recipe you’ve wanted to try, an instrument you like to play, a letter to write (yes! by hand!) and send to someone you haven’t connected with in a long time (yes! by snail mail!). Knit. Garden. Create something concrete and you are likely to feel a sense of satisfaction. If you share it or gift it? Even more so.

• Adopt a mantra.

It’s almost impossible not to get caught up in the frenzy. But we all need to remind ourselves that “all storms run out of rain.” Even if it’s one word (like “calm” or “gratitude”) find a mantra that resonates with you and repeat it as often as you can throughout the day.

Above all, take comfort in knowing that we’re all in this together. None of us knows what lies ahead, but never before has there been a stronger global community aiming for the same goal: an end to this pandemic.

Life and work often overlap, especially during times like this.
Take good care of yourself and those you love.
If we can help, let us know.