The world has gone mad and everyone is anxious and stressed about the pandemic and economic downturn. I have lived with OCD since I was 7, and 2 years ago I had a nervous breakdown. Since the beginning of this year, I have had the roof of my kitchen fall in (repairs ongoing), watched the most important person in the world to me die over a 6 week period, been caught in the middle of the family fights relating to it, been exposed to the pandemic like everyone else, worried about my ICU/anaesthetic doctor brother who is on the frontline and lost my job. I have experienced stress.
I am not a doctor or a psychologist, nor can I replace one. However, I can tell you, from my years of therapy that these are some of the most helpful things I have learnt from my wonderful specialists which are not commonly talked about in general articles on mental health and anxiety.
1. Sleep
Worrying/anxiety = extra activity by your brain. Just as students doing lots of study and exams are very tired, so are people experiencing heightened emotional distress, especially over long periods. You need extra sleep when you are worried. Sleeping also helps you to cope with the anxiety better while you are awake. Make sure you’re getting at least 7-8 hours per night. It’s not negotiable.
2. Nutrition
If you are like me, you may have an upset tummy when stressed. You don’t need to eat a lot of food, but it should be nutritious, so your body has all the tools it needs to keep you as healthy as possible. Your brain is also a very energy-hungry organ so eating healthy meals can help you to process what is happening better and think more rationally about it. Avoid excess alcohol, fats, spices and caffeine as these can all upset your tummy. Fats, in particular, are a culprit that many people underestimate. If you have serious pain/discomfort or if it continues for more than a few days, you need to go to a doctor just to make sure it isn’t anything more serious than stress.
3. Worry or panic =/= effective action
When we worry a lot, we feel like we are preparing for all possibilities of a situation and are achieving something that will help to protect us against bad things that will happen. It makes us feel like we are in control, but this is all an illusion. As an expert worrier, I can tell you that it is very possible for the anxiety to become so crippling it is impossible to get out of bed, or off the couch, even to do the basics. It makes you very tired, but the dishes still aren’t done, you may not have showered or gotten dressed, and the dog hasn’t been walked. By doing things that you need to do, you are not neglecting the seriousness of the situation. You are just doing what you need to do.
4. Taking action =/= not being concerned
In a similar vein to number 3, someone not panicking or not being obviously anxious does not mean they are not taking a situation seriously or not acting on it. Doctors, nurses, vets and scientists work with potentially dangerous pathogens every day, even when there’s no pandemic. Following infection control guidelines is important and effective. But you can follow those guidelines without being crippled by the anxiety. You do it carefully, then you do the next thing, then the next thing. You don’t stop everything else; you just have to follow the procedures. If you are worried about forgetting because it’s a new habit, write yourself a checklist or put post-it notes on things to remind yourself. But you keep going.
5. Brain fog/memory problems/procrastination
It is not uncommon for people experiencing a lot of anxiety or stress to become forgetful, to feel like they’re seeing the world through a cloud/fog, or to have trouble focusing on tasks and to procrastinate. This is not the only reason for it, so it’s important to check with a doctor if the symptoms are worrying you. If you are having difficulty accomplishing tasks because of anxiety or feeling overwhelmed, break the task down into smaller chunks. If you still have trouble, this means the chunks are too big, so break them down again and keep going until you can make progress. A tiny bit of progress counts. Then do a tiny bit more. Then a tiny bit more. It’s not as fast as what you might normally be able to do, but it’s surprising how much you can accomplish by doing this and it’s definitely better than nothing.
6. Logical =/= rational
It’s easy to think that because something is the next logical step, it is also the next rational step. But the two words do not have the same meaning. If something is logical, it makes sense and follows a series of steps that seem to be valid on the surface. However, just because something seems to follow a logical thought process, doesn’t mean that that thought process is reasonable or realistic. This is where rationality comes in. A rational thought process must be logical, reasonable and realistic given the current situation and context.
It is entirely possible to be logical, while being irrational. E.g. “There is a virus coming from China. We import a lot of goods that we use every day from China. Because China has shut down major cities, they will stop making the everyday products that we use to live (e.g. toilet paper) so there will be a shortage in the supermarkets. Therefore, I need to buy as much as I can now so I can survive for as long as possible if there is a shortage.”
The above statement is logical, but doesn’t take into account the specific details of the situation and so becomes irrational. Turns out, at least in Australia, most of our basics e.g. toilet paper are made locally, so there was never going to be any shortage if there hadn’t been any panic buying.
7. Exercise
I’m consistently being told to exercise because there is a lot of very good research relating to the benefits of exercise. It helps to boost blood flow and the endorphins boost mood among many other things. However, anyone with very serious mental illness will tell you how hard it is to do when they are feeling overwhelmed. So, if you can exercise, do it. It doesn’t have to be a full-on work out for hours, it just has to be movement for about 30 min.
8. Do something you enjoy
It is OK not to think about the current world situation every minute of the day. It doesn’t mean you’re not taking it seriously. It seems counterintuitive but making time to do something you enjoy every day helps to decrease stress levels and all the other symptoms associated with it. It will help you to increase productivity and be able to cope with this over the longer term. It also makes you feel good. 😊
9. Slow down and be kind to yourself
Your brain is a limited organ. That is, it can only cope with so much at any one time, just like your heart, your lungs, your muscles and every other part of your body. It is ok not to accomplish as much as you normally would, because your brain is already doing a whole lot of extra work. It is ok to need to rest more because your brain is working harder. It is ok if you can’t do everything on this list or that you think you ‘should’ do because you are not a robot, you are a human, trying to do the best you can in a new and difficult situation. We are often berated when we don’t accomplish something we ‘should’ when we are growing up or at work, but this time you are the boss of your own life. You don’t have a parent/teacher/employer standing over your shoulder making sure the dishes are done in a certain way by a certain time (at least I hope not!) Just do what you can today. Rest when you need to and then try again tomorrow. Keep trying and you will make progress. Any progress is good progress.
10. Simplify your life
‘Stress’ for the purposes of stress management, is essentially anything that takes up brain power. Learning new things, adjusting to new ways of life, starting a new routine, having to think more about daily tasks and planning what to eat for dinner all take up brain power. One way to reduce workload for your brain is to minimise the things that it needs to do at the same time. Write down lists to help you remember things. Break things down into smaller steps e.g. plan first, write it down, then just follow the plan. Put reminders up so you don’t have to remember so much. Cook things which are familiar and easy etc.
3 Years in Siberia 