It is a difficult time for all of us during this Pandemic. Social distancing, working from home, distance learning, staying at home, and food delivery are the new normal. Our lives have been turned upside down. When we face uncertainty, it is very understandable to feel stressed and worried. Learning how to manage stress during COVID-19 becomes essential.

Signs of Stress:

• Fear and worry about your health and health of your loved ones
• Changes in sleep and eating patterns
• Feeling overwhelmed and powerless
• Change in routine, motivation, and concentration
• Feelings of confusion, frustration, anger, discouragement and sadness

Strategies of Stress Management in COVID

With an understanding of such emotional challenge in this quarantine time, we recommend 6 strategies to manage stress, and related concerns:

1. Stay connected with family and friends.

It is important to remain connected during this time of social isolation to keep social support. That is, you can share coping strategies with your loved ones. Despite social distancing, connect with people through Zoom, Facetime, Skype, Google Hangout, or any social media. 

2. Take care of your body and your health.

Try to stay active doing home workouts and stretches. Employ breathing and relaxation techniques. Eat healthy food and take breaks. For instance,Breathing techniques effectively reduce physical tension, anxiety, and overall stress level. Similarly, relaxation techniques helps to train your body and mind to become gradually more relaxed. 

3. Try to keep routine to manage stress in COVID

Understandably, it can be quite difficult during this time, but setting up time in your day to create distinctions between work and non-work related hours can help manage anxiety.

4. Take a break from media

Inevitably, too much news can be overwhelming. When you watch, read, or listen to news or constantly use social media, it is hard not to be affected and stressed. Therefore, try other activities you enjoy. You can pick up a hobby you’ve been putting aside or set up a well-deserved self-care night. For instance, an online book club, website design, singing, or anything you enjoy.

5. Focus on things you can control

While this pandemic can be overwhelming, it is important to figure out what your stressors are; then, see if the stressor is within or outside of your control. What is within your control is what you do for yourself to help get rid of the stress on a regular basis. On the other hand, what is out of your control means things about others, the environment, and the world that you can not do much to change or influence.

In other words, you need to redirect your energy to things that you can control and accept the things that you cannot control. For example, this pandemic is out of your control, but what you can control is to remember to wash your hands, avoid touching your face, practice social distancing, avoid crowds, and avoid non-essential shopping and activities. Therefore, you can work out at home, meditate in your bedroom, and socialize with a Zoom group. This way, you can influence how stressors affect you. 

6. Identify and challenge negative thoughts

The model of cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management explains that there is a relationship between thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and physical senses. Cognitive Reframing works very well with accumulated stress and for people who tend to overreact or underreact to situations. you look at situations to see when you might be incorrectly viewing a problem and help you to see the problem for what it is. This way, you can catch yourself when you use cognitive distortions, and learn to use logic to revise your reaction to a level appropriate to the situation. 

7. Talk to a stress management therapist

When stress is unmanageable, it could develop to anxiety, depression, and physical illnesses. Therapy, on the other hand, can help you to manage stress successfully.

If stress continues to makes you feel down or anxious, our stress management therapists at Mind Connections in NYC are here to help. Our therapists offer tele-health or online therapy through video to help clients in NY and NJ during this difficult time of COVID-19. Contact us for a 15-minute free consultation. Find the best match to start the journey of your online therapy to get destress.