Anxiety and the Coronavirus.

A lot of us are experiencing anxiety recently with COVID-19 going around. We don't know what's going to happen. Our lives are being impacted, the economy is suffering, and people are getting sick. The high risk and lack of control makes everyone uneasy.

Companies are telling employees to work from home indefinitely, events are being cancelled, grocery stores are ransacked and there's a shortage of hand sanitizer. I had to cancel my trip to Australia and New Zealand less than 24 hours before I was supposed to be boarding a plane. So how do we cope when it seems like the world is ending?

First off, to diminish our anxiety as much as possible, we should take steps that are within our control. We need to do our part to protect ourselves and others: wash our hands, sneeze into our elbows, wipe down surfaces, reduce travel as much as possible, etc. Click here for more tips.

On the mentality side of this, there are a few things we can do to make this terrible situation a bit easier to handle:

• Meditate - the app Headspace has a great pack called "Anxiety."

• Surround ourselves with friends and family to share the burden.

• Connect with our loved ones that are more at risk.

• Distract ourselves. Bury your nose in a book, take up a new show to binge on Netflix, go on some long walks in nature.

• Avoid the negative media. Yes, it's good to be informed, but if you know the basis of what's happening and reading more about it makes you more stressed; cut out that factor. Abide by an excellent quote from Tom Krause: "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to."

• Journal and process our emotions.

Journaling is a fantastic way to get out of our heads and deal with the situation that is confronting us. Even if you're just writing about absolutely nothing, the physical act of writing (pen to paper) can be therapeutic to an extent. Here's a few prompts to go off of:

1. How do you want to feel when you wake up in the morning?

2. List five good things about today.

3. What are some of your values in life?

4. Did you feel stressed or anxious today? If so, what triggered that feeling, and what did you do to overcome it?

5. What is one thing you can improve on (time management, communication, etc.), and how can you do this?

6. What is one thing you can add to your morning/nighttime routine?

7. What is one thing you need to let go of?

8. What are you grateful for?

9. Make a list of 20 things that make you happy.

10. What is a new skill you'd like to learn and how can you do it?

11. Draw a picture of something that makes you happy. Write about the picture.

Click here for more ideas.

I know this is a difficult time, feel free to sign up for a coaching session if you'd like some help coping with your anxiety.