MANAGING LIFE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Here are some tips for managing anxiety as well as new boundaries and roles while our society develops new ways of living to curb the spread of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Remember that anxiety makes us vulnerable to physical disease so please see what works for you to transform that energy into something beneficial. May these inspire you to come up with the best way of navigating through this crisis to the other side. Yours always in good health! Best wishes, Renu 

Managing Anxiety 

• Stay informed, but do not obsess over the news. The quest for certainty brings its opposite, increasing anxiety. Spend only a certain amount of time each day on the news, freeing yourself the rest of the time. 

➢ Obtain the news from sources 

you can rely on to be calm and factual sites such as Arlington County’s web site: https://health.arlingtonva.us/co vid-19-coronavirus-updates/. 

• Take the precautions and measures to protect yourself that feel right to you—you do not need to justify this nor does it need to be “rational.” While not everyone has to self- quarantine for example, lessening in- person contact and controlling more of your environment can reduce fear. 
• If you are prone to anxiety or panic attacks, remember your coping skills: use deep relaxation breathing techniques, rub the top of your thighs, verbalize concrete facts to bring yourself back to the present moment and the core of your body. Remind yourself that you are safe. Connect with a loved one. 
• Social distancing does not mean isolation. Isolating can be extremely harmful, so use the tools available. Connect with others via video, phone calls, texting, email, and social media on a regular basis. 

➢ Use video—seeing someone increases the amount of oxytocin, the love hormone that protects us from the impact of stress. 

➢ Have meals or happy hours together via video as if you were in person. 

➢ Connect over social media 

with loved ones, but be careful not to overexpose yourself to those who are anxious as that could increase your negative feelings. 

➢ Don’t just connect one-on-one, 

keep up with your groups. Friend groups can convene virtually from multiple locations, meanwhile organized groups such as spiritual and religious organizations are conducting remote events and gatherings. 

• Make sure you are in touch with loved ones, esp. the elderly or chronically ill. Since they have been asked to self- isolate, help them make arrangements to gain any needed assistance if you are unable to provide it yourself. 
• Stay in therapy and ask for more sessions if desired! I have a lot of experience providing teletherapy, which research shows is very effective. Review my tips on making teletherapy and let’s discuss any barriers to virtual sessions until we are able to resume in person. 
• Drill down into your fears and concerns, then work to turn them into problems you can solve if possible. 

➢ For example, if you realize 

some of your anxiety is related to the fear you haven’t lived a meaningful life, then figure out what that would look like and how you could make small changes toward realizing this. 

➢ If you feel the urge to make 

major changes now, it may be an impulsive reaction to the crisis. Do research, meditate, and talk to others so decisions are well thought out. 

• Refill medications. If needed, discuss with your psychiatrist whether an anti- anxiolytic would be beneficial on an as-needed basis, but if your use becomes daily let’s work together to reduce your immediate stress. 
• Meal plan for the week so you know what you have and what you might need to prepare. 

➢ Many delivery services for 

groceries and restaurants are providing no-contact drop-offs. 

➢ Grocery stores have promised 

to stay open and the supply 

chain is being amped up so you will be able to obtain food. Are there any types of foods you would like to try? Recipes you’d like to make? 

• Most people have more difficulty in the evenings after work when they would go out. Develop distractions that will help you reduce anxiety. 
• If you do not feel symptomatic, consider going for walks by yourself or with another to breathe fresh air. When doing so, use the precautions given by the experts: Remain 3-6 feet from others, and use disinfectant on your hands as well as phones. 
• If you’re not up to going for a walk, go onto your balcony or patio, or open a window. The sunny world may beckon, so let it in somehow! 
• Consider how you can use the increased time at home. Make lemonade of your sour lemons, focusing on what you can control and what you can actually do. 

➢ Is there a language you’ve 

always wanted to learn, a closet that really needs to be organized, or can you get ahead and finish taxes? 

➢ Our bodies need oxygen and 

movement. As one client said, he’s going to become “prison strong!” Yoga and other exercises can be done at home. Pranayama yoga simply involves breathwork. 

➢ Meditation, journaling, and 

praying are three key activities proven to reduce anxiety and alleviate boredom and loneliness. Add motivating (but reasonable) intentions to your day for an extra boost. 

➢ Listen and dance to music, 

sing, play board games, play video/Internet games with others. 

➢ Engage in online dating or 

make new friends. Most dating apps now have best friend matches. 

➢ Do comforting things. Take a 

hot bath, use essential oils or aromatherapy, hug yourself (put your arms across your chest and squeeze). 

➢ If you don’t have a bucket list, 

create one! Do you have regrets about not doing something or going somewhere? Research where you want to go and what you want to do once restrictions are lifted and it feels safe to travel outside your home. 

Working from Home 

• Create a comfortable space to work even if physical adjustments are necessary. 

➢ Consider how to prevent fur 

babies and others from interrupting. 

➢ Use devices such as noise- cancelling headphones. 

• Restructure your routines as needed 

➢ What time will you rise and go 

to bed? Rest must come first, esp. if it has become impaired because a lack of sleep will provoke anxiety, increase physical stress, and depress the immune system. 

➢ What are your working hours? 

Working from home requires exceptional boundaries to 

retain a balanced life. Try not to work through meals or breaks. Consider having meals with colleagues or loved ones in-person or via video. 

➢ If possible, keep to your 

regular working hours as much as possible to feel the stability of your old routine. 

➢ Increase connection with colleagues 

and mentors 

➢ Don’t just rely on email, pick 

up the phone or go on video to connect. Consider creating a recurring virtual watercooler event since work-related calls might not provide that space. 

➢ Stay in tune with bosses/ supervisors 

➢ Discuss expectations for your 

work, including deliverables and hours given that life has changed for everyone. Are deadlines now more flexible? If you do not have as much work, can you relax or are you expected to fill in the time? Ask your organization for the information you need, knowing that things may continue to change. 

➢ Talk to your boss/supervisor 

about what you need to succeed with the change in circumstances such as access to resources. Don’t be afraid to say when something isn’t working—after all, most did not have much time to put their remote plans into place. 

• If you have less work, consider if there is anything you have been wishing to do for yourself professionally such as learning about innovations in your field or looking at new positions. 

Working at Home with Families & Roommates 

• Sit down and discuss your feelings about having to work from home and having to navigate new boundaries together. If one or more of you is feeling a lot of anxiety, acknowledging and sharing this first can lower tension to allow you to develop new ways of co-existing. 
• Talk through your differing circumstances and ramifications, such as if one of you is not getting a paycheck for now or becomes sick. 
• Remember when having conflict discussions to talk from the “I.” When we talk from the “you,” we elicit the others person’s defensiveness. Talking from the I position can help us share how we truly feel and get to the core of our issue while being heard. 
• List out all of the things that need to be done during this time on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to determine how it will be taken care of, if one or more will be in charge, and what may need to change about the existing division of labor. Think: Sheldon’s partner/ roommate agreements! 
• Examine each of your needs to devise a creative way of handing obligations. If you’re a couple with children, consider if one of you can work after they have gone to bed. Create a new routine while everyone is at home that feels fair to each partner. 
• Can you swap time in the home office or do you need to create a new space for each person to do their work? 
• Discuss the rules for the workday. Can you be interrupted or do you require privacy and focus? Talk about the ways in which you work—you may 

have never needed to understand one another on this level before now. Readjust assumptions esp. if you have been married for a long time. Work personas can show a different side. 

• There are still many unknowns ahead so be creative and tackle problems together. Remember that the goal is to stay healthy and sane until life can return to normalcy, so partnership, vulnerability, and honesty will go far. Suppressing how you feel often leads to resentment and anger that expresses itself in unhealthy ways. 

♥ Especially for Partners 

• Talk to your partner about what you both would like to do with the increased time. Share expectations for connection and intimacy to avoid disappointment. 

➢ Intimacy is about authentic connection, not just sexual activities. Figure out what brings you closer and how much space you need space. 

➢ Try new things together such as White Tantra or using toys in your love play. 

➢ Discuss how you each cope 

with anxiety and how the other can help. Shelve major conflict conversations unless in a couples therapy session. 

➢ Find shared activities that can 

stimulate conversations with one another. 

▪ For example, if you’re Netflixing, check out the shows Cheer and Love is Blind. These are now part of our national culture! 

For Parents 

• It may seem too scary to tell your children what’s going on, but the truth is your best ally. Ask them what they are hearing and if they have any questions. Children usually pick up on more than you expect, but they always discern your moods. 
• Share some of your concerns while comforting them with age-appropriate facts. The pandemic will ebb, and much of what we are doing is to stop it from getting worse. 
• Many children will feel heightened negative emotions, including antsy at being cooped up at home and anger that you’re being unfair. You may feel this way yourself and get impatient with them, but validate that this doesn’t feel great to you either. You don’t have to convince yourself or them to be happy about this! 
• Remember to monitor your children’s internet activity as they will be spending more time online. Not only will they have access to all kinds of information, but also predators are stuck at home, too. 
• Schedule family meal times and family activities such as board games or charades. Have movie night or Meatless Mondays where each person gets to pick the menu. Get everyone involved as much as possible in these and other shared activities. 
• Give children unstructured playtime. Teach them to stop working and relax. Everyone needs alone time. 
• Increase video or phone calls to grandparents, esp. if visits are limited. The elderly may feel increased isolation and panic, and seeing you and your children can be soothing. 

For Courage 

By John O’Donohue 

When the light around lessens And your thoughts darken until Your body feels fear turn Cold as a stone inside, 

When you find yourself bereft Of any belief in yourself And all you unknowingly Leaned on has fallen, 

When one voice commands Your whole heart, And it is raven dark, 

Steady yourself and see That it is your own thinking That darkens your world. 

Search and you will find A diamond-thought of light, 

Know that you are not alone, And that this darkness has purpose; Gradually it will school your eyes, To find the one gift your life requires Hidden within this night-corner. 

Invoke the learning Of every suffering You have suffered. 

Close your eyes. Gather all the kindling About your heart To create one spark That is all you need To nourish the flame That will cleanse the dark Of its weight of festered fear. 

A new confidence will come alive To urge you towards higher ground Where your imagination will learn to engage difficulty As its most rewarding threshold!

RENU K. ALDRICH, PHD, LMFT

Dodini Behavioral Health 703.909.5101, Ext. 114 • draldrich@dodini.com