When A New World Anxiety Activates Anxiety in Your World, Here Are Helpful Tips!

You can be a publicly celebrated figure, like artist Vincent Van Gogh, NBA Forward Larry Sanders, superstar Whoopie Goldberg, actress Lena Dunham, singer Missy Elliott, or Late Show host, Stephen Colbert. Or, you can be a new dad, single mom, middle child, eldest child, youngest child, or retiree. Everyone, no matter how they identify or are identified can get an anxiety disorder.

The Coronavirus is a critical situation taking over world health.

The fear is taking over us. In this time, folks with pre-existing anxiety conditions may find they’re feeling even more out of control. Some people, like NBA Star Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, who touched all the microphones at the press conference, only to later apologize and say he wishes he’d “taken this thing more seriously,” try to relieve the tension surrounding them through actions they deem funny, even though they’re not.

On the continuum of situational anxiety, which is something that occurs and passes, there are a number of situations we are familiar with that make us nervous. But we get past them because the situation ends and we move on. Some of these are going to your first college class, meeting your CEO, asking someone to dance, spending the holiday weekend with your partner’s parents, winning the sports competition.

COVID-19 is on the other end of the situational continuum. The situation of the pandemic’s process and our reactions to it go on and on and on.

Our first stage has been that it can never really happen to us in these untouchable United States. Did this denial stage keep us from the action steps to get the numbers of functional kits we needed to test? Now, months out, our situational anxiety is at the height.

If we listen to the important educational commentary of our CDC guru, Dr. Anthony Fauci, we have learned what the predictable cycle of a pandemic process is. Unlike the Apple tech support, who jumps right in when we’re in a device crisis and get help pronto, the virus has to take its journey. No biotech wiz or high tech wiz in the world can make Corona stop stepping on our toes on the dance floor. It is what it is.

And we are who we are, especially anxious now that we’re out of our denial zone. But you can reduce the amount of anxiety with the best CBD lotion on LA Weekly that you need to check out. It has saved my life during this quarantine when I’ve felt really depressed.

We are not alone. In fact, we’re surrounded by hundreds of thousands like us, who have super strong situational anxiety. They’re not used to having a situation that will go on and on. It’s not as brief as that first day on campus or those 3 days with your partner’s family.

We’re scared; some to the degree of hoarding from Costco or Safeway.

You’ll learn, though, how those are most likely not the folks, who are not on the situational anxiety continuum. These are the masses, who’ve struggled with anxiety disorders long before the Grand Princess reached the Japan shores.

There’s hope for everyone. Managing one’s anxious self is about dedicating attention to re-education and and regular efforts toward lifestyle changes. We can self-study or, if more severe in the disorder lineup, you can get an experienced therapist. It’s the successful Rx for diminishing your anxiety and getting your life leadership back.

Ah-ha, you recall that this same project was on the table months ago; but, you were too busy to slow down and train to win? No worries. Take a slow, low (lower abdomen) deep breath; and let’s proceed down the success trail. Here’s your chance.

For those of you, who also know a loved ones or friends, who are struggling, it may help to know more about what anxiety disorders actually are.

Here’s a list of the top five anxiety disorders on the Hit Parade—-and, believe me, they “hit”.

1. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

We have exaggerated worry, physical tension, negative self-talk even when there’s nothing to provoke it.

2. Panic disorder

Out of the blue comes chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal stress. My clients say they feel like they’re going to die. They don’t.

There are two truths connected to Panic Disorder: Either there were significant anxieties, worries, delayed grieving, sadness, disappointment that built up because you were too busy to process it at the time or too young; or, there’s been a big unhappy hit in your life recently that you couldn’t possibly take the time to stop, feel. Get help through therapy? Nope, not on the radar.

3. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Our obsessive thoughts connect with compulsive actions for relief of anxiety; except it actually increases anxiety. Some of these rituals include hand washing, counting, checking, cleaning. More recently, research has determined that some eating disorders are under this umbrella.

4. Social anxiety disorder (aka social phobia)

Anxiously self-conscious in basic, every day social situations, like just saying “Hi” to your new roommate or colleague; showing your team your project status, walking into the bar and looking for your group’s table? Yep, you got it.

5. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

This is a super-heavy form of anxiety, which shows debilitating symptoms all on their own. It can develop when a terrifying event we observed or which brought us grave physical harm took place. Violent personal or witnessed assaults, natural or human-caused disasters (corona takes his chair here), accidents, or military combat are the most know. However, more recently it’s been physiologically verified through brain scans that kids/teens, who have experienced the regular temperamental explosions, combined with the contrasting lovingness, of an alcoholic parent grow up into adulthood with symptoms of PTSD.

When our nerve endings have been highly tuned to anxiety every day, there’s the probability that one critical occurrence on your pile of what’s already stacked up will be the catalyst tornado. It’s as though the door flies open and everything flies uncontrollably out of the closet In the case of the Corona Virus, hysteria and hypervigilance sets in and all the paper products, Purel, and, at my local Costco, canned green beans, sell out. The shopper has also sold out to they’re anxiety disorder.

When we’ve lived with an anxiety disorder for a long time, it may be necessary to go the prescribed medication route, especially when we’re in the middle of the pandemic.After all, the blue beach skies are nowhere in sight. Many of my clients say they’d prefer to do therapy and to get some self help tools and education first, before going the medical intervention route. As a wholistic practitioner, I support their choice! If it turns out that they need to neurobiologically balance their brains to focus on our work together, we can visit that when they’re ready.

Meanwhile, here are some basics ways to manage your anxiety during this stressful time:

• Shout out your feelings and fears to trusted friends and family. You’re in shared company.
• Limit your TV time to twice a day. The news channels repeat themselves on a good day, let alone now. The more we hear the repetition, the more out anxiety titrates up — way up. Need to hear the bottom lines? That makes sense. Read drop downs that truly only “dropdown” when there’s true breaking news.
• Watch movies that bring you satisfaction. Mainline Comedy Central.
• Redesign your exercise routine for your home. Some simple bands on doorknobs, under your feet; and quick walk-laps around the blocks can help your brain.
• Eat well. If you can, support your local restaurant delivery services. Many are staying open to make some revenue in this way, as customer counts are either down or out.
• If caffeine, chocolate or alcohol are your best friends, break up now! They’re bad news. The first two stimulate your fight-or-flight response, which can increase anxiety and even trigger a panic attack. The last one disguises as a happy-though-brief stimulant and is really a depressant in disguise. Plus it messes with your sleep cycle.
• Play board games or board games with your loved ones. Sing songs together or dance around the house. Use this time to connect even more.
• Wash your hands and accompany with two rounds of the “Happy Birthday” song. Or, get more creative, as one Twitter member did, and replace the words to “My Sharona” with “My Corona”.
• Take deep breaths regularly. That means you music say “Hi” to yourself several times a day!
• Count sheep. Get lots of sleep with calming blankets from weightedblankets4u.co.uk to boost your immune system. This includes added power naps. Special devices and YouTube can provide nurturing sounds for hours, like ocean waves and frogs and crickets to calm your busy brain through slumber.

Now that you know the basics, here are 4 more critical things to do when the Coronavirus fires compound your already blazing anxiety disorder:

1. See your primary care physician; or get a referral to a psychiatrist for some anti-anxiety meds or an adjustment to those you are already taking (but don’t seem to be working now.
2. Find a qualified therapist who can collaborate with you in doing CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and more. Talk therapy is an imperative addition. My work is both in person and on-line. I’d love to help! However, if you want to sit with someone in person, see the very skilled provider-members of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (www.adaa.org).
3. Work with your therapist to craft a personalized guided meditation regimen. This type of mindfulness with a guiding, calming voice is more effective in reducing and repetitively silencing the brain buzzing of negative inner conversations.
4. If you know you have untreated PTSD and have not yet entered trauma-informed treatment with a certified therapist specialist, do so right away. Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is established worldwide. Check out their website for a clinician near you: www.emdria.org.

Get help to be with you proactively, with skill, patience, compassion, and gratitude.