Overcoming Coronanxiety

Life may different for a little while.  Although there is a lot about the upcoming season that we can’t control, here are a few ways to protect your mind and heart from the COVID-19 Anxiety:

Watch your mental and emotional diet
If you ever needed a time to limit social media and the 24-hour news cycle, this might be it. Although it is important to be informed, it’s not necessary to be encompassed…by the fear, panic, and swirling opinions that seem to be everywhere these days. Pick a trusted source (the CDC, Reuters, local news) and check it a few times throughout the day. Other than that, put good things in your head and heart.

Find your calm
Investing time in growing your roots down into peace and calm can be vital to mental and emotional health during these days. Quiet time, reading, prayer, or meditation (perhaps through the Calm app or something similar) can be a lifeline during this season and can help you set some new rhythms in the midst of the chaos.

Make a peaceful one-pager
This would be a good time to create one page “parachute” for anxiety in your journal or anywhere else you can easily access it. Include reasons to hope, words that give perspective, Bible verses you love, and thoughts that bring comfort. Take it out and look at it when the tide of anxiety comes pushing in.

Go analog for a while
Break out a good book, dust off those board games, and turn off the screens whenever you can.  Anything you can do to park your brain in a lower gear will be good for you long-term.

Use this time for connection
Look for ways to connect well with the healthy people you have living with you. Put your kids in your lap and tell them stories, play those games you rarely have time for. Schedule phone calls with the people you love. You’d be surprised by how easy it can be to catch up when you put a little intention in it.

Think about good brain foods
Sugar and caffeine work against healthy brain processing. If you want to feel better, lean on snacks and comfort foods high in healthy protein and vitamins.

Go outside!
It isn’t cancelled, it’s naturally disinfected, and some fresh air will do you some good. Plus…the Vitamin D you get from the sun will make you feel happier.

Sync with your season
I think that God works in our lives in seasons. More than that, I think that one of the ONLY ways we really grow is when we try to embrace the season we are currently in and see what He has for us. Even if you didn’t see this season coming, try to treasure these days as much as you can so that when this is all over we can see how much you grew in this unique time in your life.

BONUS: How to talk to your kids about the Coronavirus