Let’s cut right to it - we all experience anxiety, stressors and worries of one form or another. Here are some helpful psychological strategies that have been tested and found to be effective for many.
A. Mindfulness – Observing non-judgmentally
When confronted with environmental stressors, our emotional reactions arise naturally. And we usually occlude the facts as they are. But that is rarely helpful.
First, observe nonjudgmentally and take stock of what is actually happening around you.
What are you thinking about?
Is it about the future, past or present?
Do you think it is affecting how you are feeling?
What is going through our minds when we feel anxious, low or stressed?
When we start to notice and be aware of our thoughts, we’ll be able to start identifying what might be contributing to our distress.
Doing this non-judgmentally means not reacting to our observations or thoughts (and/or the emotions attached to it) but rather simply letting the observations and resulting thoughts and emotions arise and being aware of its presence in our mind.
B. Mindfulness – Mindful Breathing.
While mindfulness is a practice that helps us to not get swept away on a wave of our unhelpful or negative thoughts, people may find it difficult to observe their thoughts and emotions without reacting to them.
Let’s try this simple exercise:
Breathe in and out.
Maintain your usual breathing rhythms without being overly conscious about the preciseness of each breath.
Let your lungs expand and fill as you inhale, and contract as you exhale.
Bring your attention to each inhalation and exhalation through your nose.
As you continue to watch your breath, remind yourself that each breath grounds you in the present moment.
You are fully present in this moment of being.
Now ask yourself, what is happening, and how are you feeling or thinking about that situation.
C. Schedule “Worry” Time
First, identify all the tasks or items that are within your “sphere of influence”; essentially, matters that you can do something about. You may not always be able to control or determine the outcome, but you can take steps to influence or alter the outcome.
Identify what needs to be done and complete those tasks. You’ll start to feel a whole lot better once you make a checklist and tick them off. Then tell yourself this: “there are always going to be things that are not within my influence (your “sphere of concern”)”.
Here is how both spheres look like:
I am going to allow myself to worry about it, for no more than 10 minutes. But after these 10 minutes, I shall leave my worries for my tomorrow self to grapple with” (or similar words… but you get the idea).
This tool has been found to be clinically effective in managing worries by freeing up your “head space” for important, relaxing or fun activities.
D. Challenge unhelpful thoughts.
If you still feel a lingering worry after your scheduled worry time, you may want to directly address or challenge these persistent thoughts. Persistent thoughts might include:
Catastrophising: “The world is going to end”, “I’ll definitely get the virus if I go out”, “My boss hates my presentation and I am going to get sacked”
Filtering: Only focusing on the negative parts of the situation but not the positive aspects. During a pandemic for example, “being at home is like prison”, rather than “being at home is keeping me and everyone else safe”.
Some ways to challenge such thoughts are to ask yourself: is that the only, and the whole truth? Are there other perspectives that I should consider? Am I constantly making reference to a state of perfection that does not exist? Am I worrying too much about how things should be instead of embracing and dealing with things as they are? This leads us to our next tip…
E. Acceptance
Remember your sphere of concern?
There will be many concerns that we cannot change or challenge successfully. These thoughts will usually keep us in a bubble of constant worry and anxiety instead of helping us deal with the situation. Issues within our sphere of concern that we might not be able to successful challenge include the social distancing and circuit breaker measures that will be with us for a period of time to limit the spread of the virus. But fretting about this situation will only result in more distress, anxiety or stress. Acceptance does not mean that you approve of or like the situation you find yourself in. What it means is that you have decided to embrace and acknowledge what is happening.
You have come to terms with the situation being what it is – no more, and no less – and you are no longer actively struggling or resisting the fact of its occurrence.
F. Look after your Body
Yes, this means regular exercise, eating balanced meals, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and sleeping well.
There is a ton of research about the mind-body connection, it is not a myth!
How you feel emotionally and mentally can affect your physical health, and vice versa. The best demonstration of how your mental health and physical health are closely related is seen with burnout. When you’re pushed beyond your limits and putting too much stress on yourself, you experience burnout in forms of headaches, migraines, bowel issues and so on.
At the same time, this also has implications on your motivation levels, your cognitive functioning, and may even make you easily irritated or emotional.