I haven't been sleeping well for the past two weeks. I keep thinking I have the virus crawling on my hands and I need to either scrub them twice over or dump hand sanitizer into my palms. I'm afraid to touch food packaging in fear that the coronavirus is growing all over the outside of my graham crackers. Instead of washing my hair every other day, I have to wash it every day because I think, "Well, can't the virus survive on hair?! And it's touching my FACE all day."
It's very easy for us to let our anxiety take over during this time. We panic buy, hoard toilet paper, pump hand sanitizer like gasoline, and scrub our hands raw. The last thing we need to do though, is to panic.
Panicking has lead to said panic-buying, causing grocery stores to go bare within hours of being restocked. The elderly walk in and can't find the food they need, and they're one of the most at-risk groups of people for covid-19. Mothers can't find baby formula and diapers. Stop. Panic. Buying. There is enough food and supplies for us all. Buy what you usually do for a normal grocery shop so others aren't left with nothing.
Ok. Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about calming down this anxiety. For me, I find that distraction helps immensely. I watch YouTube channels that I love and make me laugh; I play with my little sisters who are cooped up in the house all day; my family and I baked a cake the other day—there are lists of things we could do to keep sane and prevent catastrophe thinking. Find what those things are for you and make time for them, whether that's working out in your living room; drawing in your sketch book; starting on that novel you've always wanted to write; downloading some new books on your Kindle; or pampering yourself to your heart's content with bath oils and face-steamers. Do whatever it is that will get you out of your head and into activities that bring you peace.
If you are experiencing high amounts of anxiety and feel that it's getting out of control, please connect to a therapist. Speak to your health care provider (over the phone, of course) and get help finding a mental health professional asap. They know there's higher anxiety than normal at this time, and they want to help. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Please take care of yourself and talk to someone if you're suffering.
I hope you're all managing well under self-quarantine, and that you're making the most out of a sucky situation. I'm hoping we can all get back to work QUICKLY, and that your loved ones are lending a helping hand.
We'll all get through this.
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