As therapists, we are often working with clients who find life challenging.  The most common affliction being anxiety.  As COVID-19 had made its way around the globe, anxiety is rife.

As a part of our contribution, over the coming weeks, we will be regularly posting articles to help us all manage the stress and subsequent anxiety of living amidst COVID-19. 

Create structure where you can 

Anxiety is often related to a sense of feeling loss-of-control of our own experience and more deeply our own livelihood.  Unsurprisingly, in recent weeks, stress & anxiety have been particularly apparent for clients as they work hard to navigate the quickly changing landscape of COVID-19.   

As COVID-19 infiltrates our communities, we are being required to reconsider what we recognise as ‘givens’ in our world.  The security of our jobs, the certainty that our children’s education experience, or being assured that the health system will be able to support us: are ‘givens’ that are being questioned in our world.

Acknowledge that we are struggling

When our ‘givens’ are disrupted, there are a variety of responses we may find ourselves going through and these are all very normal.  If you recognise yourself in any of these responses, be kind to yourself and acknowledge how extremely challenging this period is.

• Resistance or non-acceptance of the change = anger & frustration

• Shock & disbelief that this is happening = overwhelm & disorientation

• Fear of loss of control in the change = panic & hyper-vigilance

• Wanting to withdraw or mask = exhaustion & numbing behaviours

Letting go of what we can’t control & taking time for gratitude

Often when we are highly anxious or stressed, we can find ourselves expending energy on what we cannot control & in the process lose sight of what we do have in our lives.

  Make a list:

• What is out of my hands?  What do I need to let go of for now?

Vs

• What do I have that I am grateful for?  Where do I have agency in my life right now?

Begin to wonder what might support me?

Take some time to think about what: activities, people, practices - typically feel nurturing and supportive to you?  Where do you have agency in your life? 

Think about the basics:

• Rest - get enough sleep

• Fuel with nutritious food

• Connect with those that care about us

• Routines we love – for some of us this might watching a movie together on a Sunday, for others it will attending a Pilates class, cooking Friday night dinner

• Move

• Purpose & endeavour

• Create & express

• Nature

• Hydration

• Stillness

• Feed the soul through; learning, reading, dancing, music, art

• Giving back

Consider the activities, people, practices that draw from you – and consider how you might reduce these in your life?

• Alcohol, drugs

• Binge watching your favourite shows

• Social media – think about leaving your phone outside of your workspace or your bedroom

• Junk food

• Gambling

• Unsupportive social interactions

Consider becoming more intentioned about self-care

Without being rigid, take it upon yourself to consider:

• How you intend to incorporate the nurturing & supportive practices into your life?

• What might assist you to reduce your engagement with the less positive activities in your life? 

Think about transitions

Without the benefit of going to separate workspace or a place of learning, it can become all too easy to lose a sense of ease at home.  Home needs to be a place of relaxation & calm, a place where we feel we can let go of the world outside. 

Have a think how you might ensure you build in transitions?

• Get up as you would as if you were heading off to work

• Get dressed in semi-professional attire

• Eat at the times you would during the day at work / school

• Building in additional rituals that indicate transitions between work time and down time

  • change of location

  • change of music

  • lighting a candle & then blowing it out at the end of the day

  • taking a walk before & after

Develop a plan

One of the best strategies to counter uncertainty, is to create certainty.  Imagine a plan that supports self-care & incorporates transitions.  It could look like something like this:

• Rise – Awaken naturally by 6 – 6:30am

• Transition – herbal tea

• Stillness - stretch, meditate, journal

• Transition, Routine & Move – Pilates class (but now online)

• Bring order - shower & dress for work / school, make bed, clean up

• Connect - with family members & dog

• Fuel - hydrate & eat a nutritious breakfast

• Transition - make a cup of tea, light a candle & turn on productive music

• Endeavour - 9am – set realistic goals, commence work

• Move - every hour, make space to walk for 10mins

• Fuel - hydrate & eat nutritious lunch around 12noon

• Transition - cup of tea, recommence work

• Endeavour – 4pm finish work – blow out candle, turn off music

• Transition & Nature - 30-45 min walk or gardening

• Connect - with family members & dog

• Transition & Create – listen to relaxing music whilst creating a nutritious meal

• Connect - eat together

• Bring order & Connect - clean up together

• Connect – video chat with a friend

• Connect - with partner over tea & a show / board game

• Nurture – magnesium salts & essential oils

• Feed the soul - 9:30 – 10pm bed with book

• Rest - 10:30pm sleep

In summary during this period of extreme uncertainty, create certainty through a structure of self-care.  Know your resources and look after yourself. 

We at The Grove remain online and are working with all of our clients offering online counselling via video & telephone platforms.  If you feel you or someone you know are in need of support, please reach out.  Early intervention is always the best intervention.

 For individual counselling, family therapy or couples counselling please contact us at 03-9532-4567 / info@thegrovecounselling.com

or

For FREE 20 min conversation with a therapist BOOK ONLINE

(Trained as a relational whole-body focussing oriented therapist, Sarah Sacks works extensively in supporting people experiencing anxiety)