Relief from Anxiety: Right Here and Now, in the Middle of the Pandemic

Anxiety. Everyone is feeling it during the pandemic. Anxiety about the virus, anxiety about going places and not knowing how safe it is due to the virus, anxiety about the economy, anxiety about paying rent or medical bills when finances have been impacted by the virus, anxiety about sending kids back to school, anxiety about dating during the pandemic, anxiety about missing out on experiences, anxiety about the future, anxiety about having anxiety! Did I name yours yet?   As an expert in treating anxiety, I’ve seen the spike in anxiety caused by the pandemic for my clients, my friends and family and neighbors, and at times for myself as well. Anxiety is part of being human: it is our fight-flight-or-freeze reaction that evolved as a survival instinct, to help us avoid or defeat serious and immediate threats to our safety.  That instinct was meant to trigger a burst of energy (cortisol, a stress hormone, which tells us to “hit the gas”) for a short window of time for us to get to safety. It wasn’t meant to be a way of living and feeling day to day; staying in fight-or-flight state for extended periods wreaks havoc on our bodies (messing with our digestion, decreasing sleep or sleep quality, compromising our immune system), our mental capacity (our executive functions like focus, memory, decision-making and planning), and our ability to cope (regulating emotion, mood, behavior). In most of my work pre-pandemic, I taught people to recognize their sur...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Anxiety Coronavirus Self-Help COVID-19 Mindfulness pandemic Stress Reduction Source Type: news