Take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back. You’ve managed to divert your attention away from breaking news long enough to uncover some resources that could truly help you deal with your Coronavirus anxiety.
That is not an easy task right now.
Experts advise social separation and self-quarantine to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus illness (COVID-19), effectively isolating most of us. It makes sense if you haven’t been doing anything other than brooding about virus updates and the supply of toilet paper.
So, what can you do to alleviate your Coronavirus anxiety?
I’m happy you asked because I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of resources to assist you with your mental health throughout Coronavirus anxiety.
This list might also apply to any situation in which breaking news stories are all-consuming and difficult to ignore.
Consider this: Reducing your stress is one of the most effective methods to deal with this situation. Excessive stress can harm your immune system as well as your mental health.
Plus, after whirling through your Coronavirus anxiety for so long, you deserve to feel some relaxation finally.
Don’t Worry If You’re Feeling Anxious – It’s OK
First and foremost, there is nothing wrong with you being nervous right now.
Ignoring the tension or blaming yourself for experiencing it may be appealing, but it is unlikely to help in the long run.
Recognising your feelings, especially if they are frightening, can help you healthily manage them.
And I’ve got some bad news for you: you’re not alone in your panic. The news is terrifying, and dread is a reasonable and natural reaction. You’re not by yourself.
COVID-19 may be especially alarming if you already have a chronic condition. And if you have a mental disease, such as a Coronavirus anxiety problem, the continual assault of news may make you feel as if you’re losing control.
There are several resources available on how to directly deal with Coronavirus anxiety, and it’s critical to have such tactics on hand when you need them.
But for this list, we’re going to ignore all of it.
Because research suggests that taking a deep breath can help you pause your worry, lower your levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and even retrain your brain to shift harmful thought habits.
Which is all the more reason to feel pleased with yourself for finding your way here, where all you have to do is sit back, browse through some useful tools, and finally get a reprieve from that terrible sensation of approaching doom.
These techniques will not solve everything, and if you’re truly battling to keep your Coronavirus anxiety under control, it’s a good idea to get expert treatment.
But I hope that these applications and websites might provide you with a brief respite from the cycle of headline tension.
1. Plan For A Virtual Museum Tour
Visiting a public facility, such as a museum, is probably not high on your priority list right now.
However, you may take some intriguing museum tours from the convenience and safety of your own home.
More than 500 museums and galleries from across the world have collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to showcase their collections as virtual tours online.
Explore all of the possibilities on the Google Arts & Culture page, or begin with this selected list of the best alternatives.
2. Conduct A Virtual Visit Through A National Park
“A trip to locations that most people never go.”
Isn’t that ideal for this time of year? It’s from the slogan for The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks, a Google Arts & Culture interactive video and exhibit.
The exhibit allows you to enjoy 360-degree tours of United States National Parks, including remote locations that most people would never visit in their lives.
You may discover interesting things from park ranger tour guides, fly over an active volcano in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, dive through a shipwreck in Dry Tortugas National Park, and do a variety of other activities.
3. Spend More Time With Nature
When it comes to the environment, have you ever wondered what animals are up to while we humans are preoccupied with the newest breaking news?
Most animals are simply going about their daily lives, which you can see in real-time via the Explore.org live cameras.
Even when everything seems to be coming apart, it’s comforting to know that the dolphins are still swimming, the eagles are still nesting, and the pups of the world are still pretty freakin’ cute.
I like Bear Cam, which allows you to watch brown bears fish salmon in Alaska. If you keep your eye out long enough, you could even see some lovely little cubs learning to hunt!
4. Do Nothing For 2 Minutes
Doing nothing may appear to be a crazy notion right now – there’s so much to be concerned about!
But what if you challenged yourself to do absolutely nothing for 2 minutes? The website Do Nothing for 2 Minutes is specifically built for this purpose.
The idea is simple: for two minutes, you must listen to the sound of waves without touching your mouse or computer.
It’s more difficult than it appears, especially if you’ve been caught up in a never-ending loop of monitoring the news.
If you touch your computer before the two minutes are up, the site notifies you of your time and restarts the clock.
The Calm app’s creators built this website, so if your 2 minutes of nothing helps quiet your mind, check out the app for additional moments of calm.
5. Provide Yourself With Massage
What a dilemma: You may benefit from a nice massage to help you de-stress with Coronavirus anxiety, yet social distance keeps you further apart from other people than a massage.
What’s the advantage? This is a fantastic chance to learn how to massage oneself. Regular can help you improve your talents, and you may be able to ease your Coronavirus anxiety just as well as a massage from another person.
Start with this tutorial by certified massage therapist Chandler Rose, or check-up instructions for specific sections of your body that may benefit from some love, such as:
- Your feet
- Legs
- Lower back
- Upper back
- Hands
6. Browse Digital Library For E-Books And Audiobooks
When you’re alone, worried, and in need of a diversion, OverDrive’s app Libby may be your new best friend.
Libby allows you to borrow free e-books and audiobooks from public libraries in your area. You may listen to them on your phone, iPad, or Kindle.
Check out Book Riot’s audiobook hacks to improve your listening experience even further.
Don’t know where to begin when it comes to selecting among the thousands of books on the market? To assist, OverDrive provides lists of recommended reading.
7. Do Guided Meditation
There are many different styles of meditation, and depending on how much your Coronavirus anxiety is on high alert right now, some may be more difficult to relax into than others.
So why not try a guided meditation that isn’t too serious?
If you don’t mind cursing, spend 2 1/2 minutes with F*ck That An Honest Meditation, which will remind you that you’re not alone in cursing the overall awfulness of the world.
You can also strive not to laugh throughout this meditation, and if you fail, give yourself permission to laugh as much as you want.
8. Perform Deep Breathing With Guided GIFs
According to studies, your breath may be a very efficient tool for soothing and managing your Coronavirus anxiety.
You may read everything about the science behind utilising your breath to relieve Coronavirus anxiety, or you can get started right now by following a peaceful GIF that leads your breathing.
9. Create An Interactive Self-care Checklist
Who has time to investigate why your Coronavirus anxiety is spiralling out of control when you’re preoccupied with… well, with your Coronavirus anxiety spiralling out of control?
Fortunately, there are individuals who have already done the job of identifying your requirements, so all you have to do to feel better is follow their pre-made roadmaps.
Everything Is Awful, and I’m Not Okay contains a list of questions to consider before quitting up. It’s a one-page checklist that will remind you of some practical feel-better tactics you may employ right now.
The Bottom Line
A time of worldwide panic might feel like the exact point at which your Coronavirus anxiety was about to spiral out of control.
However, the tools on this list may be precisely what you need to get your mental health back on track.
You may save these URLs for later use, vow to view one every hour and share them with your friends so you can speak about something other than the apocalypse. It is entirely up to you how you employ them.
Remember that it’s alright to feel how you feel, but there are healthy methods to process your Coronavirus anxiety, and you can always get help if you need it.
I hope you enjoy your virtual treks, trips, and deep breathing. You have earned these moments of tenderness and care.