Five research-based strategies to manage COVID-19 pandemic anxieties and fears
Dr. Bill Dyment, Dyment & Associates, Inc.
Over the past eight months, it has been my deep honor to have hosted more than 240 webinars on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. They have centered on identifying coping strategies to combat anxiety and fear you can use personally, as a family, and as a virtual team. In turn, I have learned much from the feedback, questions and suggestions of thousands of audience members who have connected to listen in.
One thing quickly became apparent-everyone’s personal and work-at-home situation is different. Some are sheltering in place alone or with a pet. Other are single parents, with or without childcare. Another group is living with roommates, or as a family unit.
The fears and anxieties people have expressed varied widely too—concern over their elderly friends and parents, worries about income or job loss, unavailable or unaffordable childcare, or fears about health and safety issues as they or a loved one must leave their isolation daily as a medical professional or other first responder.
Together we discussed five research-based strategies that can significantly reduce our anxieties and fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and our ability to cope with its duration. It is my hope that they can be a resource to you, your family and colleagues as well:
- Make a list of your biggest COVID-19 fears. Over the last two weeks, I have learned this-most people have roughly four or five big worries related to the current pandemic. They are unique to each person. Mine are not yours and vice-versa. At times, even the strongest of us report feeling overwhelmed by one or more of our personal anxieties and fears. And, we are learning when we tend feel them the most. It might be after reading a particularly disturbing news story, or during a brief moment of down time, or at the beginning or end of our day.
To combat these concerns, use a technique from the field of cognitive psychology. Write down your fears, digitally or on paper, but leave a blank under each one. After you have recorded your fear, below it write down (1) a more rational, hopeful response to that fear—you may need help from a friend, colleague, or telehealth counselor. Then (2) record what action you will take when this fear comes up again.
Refer to this list often or whenever you feel anxious. If you are person of faith, you can also use this list as prayer ritual to enable you to better let things go, for example, before you go to bed or as you start each day.
Example:
Fear 1. I am fearful I will lose my job.
Rational response: Many are fearful of the same thing. This pandemic will not last forever, likely several more months, and my organization has already stated they will be working with us to reduce the likelihood that layoffs will be needed. There is also growing government assistance if the unlikely worst-case situation happened to me.
What I will do when this fear comes up: I will call my friend, Michael, whom I talk to daily and walk through this fear with him. Talking with him always helps.
2. Put together your “support team” and a schedule specific times to reach out to them.
Many us have work teams and family members we interact with often, either face-to-face or virtually. These individuals, though, may not be the best source of personal encouragement and support. You may feel you are the “leader,” or the person expected to be “the strong one” and, for this reason, it is difficult to be truly authentic with your family or team. Everyone needs 3-4 people they can talk to whenever they need to about how they are really doing, openly and without filter.
According to a classic UCLA study done years ago, we need 3-4 one-hour conversations with people we can be authentic every week to be at our best mentally. If that was true before the pandemic, it is certainly true now. Most likely, you will need to reach and “widen your circle” to get the personal support you need, outside the people you lead and the people with whom you live.
3. Focus on these three self-care practices.
Adequate sleep and rest:
According to a study at Carnegie Mellon, the difference between seven and eight hours sleep provides three times the immunity for cold! While the effects of additional sleep in fighting off this virus have not been proven, we do know we are better in many ways, mentally as well as physically, when we do commit to an earlier bedtime. If it is difficult to sleep soundly these days, know that laying down earlier helps us physically even if we have trouble falling and staying asleep.
Daily exercise and sun:
For most of us, “sheltering in place” means less travel, errands and commuting. Commit to using this time dividend to do some form of exercise daily and getting in daily sunshine as much as possible. Ten years ago, few of us had many ideas on how to exercise in our homes or without going to the gym. Now there are thousands of videos available online to walk us through home-based workouts we can do inside and without equipment. Getting out into the sunshine builds up needed Vitamin D which has been shown to increase our immunity. Experts say 15-20 minutes of sunshine greatly increases our body’s Vitamin D. Whether you simply sit out on your patio, balcony or backyard, sunshine is needed and lifts our spirts too.
Good food and nutrition:
Eating well can be especially challenging during this protracted period of isolation. We can eat out of boredom or stress or we can buy and eat what is healthy. For many, we may have for the first time in years, the time to prepare healthy meals and to enjoy them.
The fitness challenge: How could you emerge from this pandemic in better physical shape that you were before? It is possible for most of us. Who do you need to support you in this goal? Partner up with a friend to keep you focused and accountable.
4. Create a grateful list to recalibrate your thinking and engender a sense of hope.
A study done with KMPG staff in Manhattan during their most stressful times, tax season, found that asking them to create a simple grateful list greatly reduced their experience of anxiety and stress.
Creating your own grateful list will significantly lift your spirits. I have personally found that my list is filled with the kindnesses of others toward myself and my family. Yes, there are material blessings I am thankful for, but it is people that I am most blessed by. Your big goal is to work toward coming up with 100 big and small things that you feel grateful for over the next week. Refer to your list often and experience its comfort, joys and hope.
5. Experience the “helper’s high.”
Robert Ciadini, from Arizona State University, researched the effect of altruistic behavior. He described the uplift in emotions we feel when we assist others as the “helper’s high.” The first few days of the pandemic most of us were frantically making sure our families had enough provisions and working out the technology for full-time virtual work. Now it is time to again “widen your circle” extending your concern to others around you. It’s time to check in on those you know may be worse off and to consider ways to assist them.
One woman I spoke to last week described how she is baking bread for the elderly in her neighborhood that are having troubling getting fresh bread in their local grocery stores. You could hear in her voice that she was beaming and joyful that she could help in some way.
If your anxieties are getting the best of you, consider whether you can muster the needed strength to call or assist someone else. if you have kids, make it a family affair.
The next few weeks and months will be stressful but there are many available avenues of support if you reach out and practice the tips above. Best wishes to you, your families and work teams.