How to Cope Up with Stress and Anxiety in These Unprecedented Times?

Coping up with stress in unprecedented times

The second wave of Covid – 19 has hit all of us with an uproar, some have lost their loved ones, many are currently fighting a battle against the virus and for others, the situation has been challenging mentally. 

The unprecedented situations led us to be home-bound, but even after a year of quarantine and self-isolation, the situations don’t seem to get better. Every day we wake up and see horrible news on our social media sites, newspapers, web portals. 

This information and traumatic experiences around us take a toll on our mental health. But to say that we can completely shut ourselves from this information doesn’t seem practical, especially in an era where a majority of us are connected only through technology, an era where the internet brings us together. 

But there are certainly a few things we can do for ourselves to cope up with this information without feeling overwhelmed or anxious.


It’s Okay to Seek Information

Seeking Information is a natural human tendency. As humans, we all are inquisitive to know what is happening around us. Psychologist Nusrat Ibrahim in this regard said as human beings, all of us have an inbuilt “seeking system” in our brains that pushes us to find food, shelter, etc. 

This tells us that being curious about the information around us especially in such chaotic times is completely normal. It is instinctive for a person to do so. Psychologist Nusrat Ibrahim continued saying, “The brain wants to seek reassurance in stressful times.”

Be Cautious of What Information You’re Consuming

It’s important to be aware of the type of information you are consuming. You should be selective about what information to look upon in these times. You should invest your time and energy by getting information in the fields which interest you. 

For an instance, someone who is good with statistics and data analysis might like to know about the statistics of people recovered/infected from coronavirus. 


Don’t Believe Anything without Checking Reliable Sources 

We have an overflow of information through various sources including WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, and many such social sites. But you should not believe everything you see at the very moment. Often information that is shared multiple times could be fake or simply misleading.

Information like these creates unnecessary panic and anxiety.Before believing such news it’s better to check such information from reliable sources. Forward such news only if you find it reliable. Misinformation could be harmful to anyone’s mental health.

  
Meditate 

Although finding concentration could be hard at these times, you should still find out a few moments in a day to yourself which should be free of any electronic gadgets, even if it’s ten minutes. 

Meditating doesn’t necessarily require a huge guide but even sitting calmly with your eyes closed and focusing on the positivity of thoughts helps. 

BK Shivani, a teacher in the Brahma Kumaris Spiritual Moment in India often emphasizes the fact that our thoughts attract our life. Our positive thoughts affect our thinking and also our life.

Giving yourself a couple of moments in a day and concentrating on attracting positive energy in those moments helps us having a better and calm outlook on life.


Listen to Good Music 

Music is a soul to the universe and flight to the imagination. Good music often helps us to calm our minds and distract us from real-world situations for a while. While listening to music helps us, we should be mindful of what kind of music we intake. 

The music we listen to should spread positivity and happiness to us.


Little Help is Still a Help
                
The pandemic has definitely left us all in a situation of deep helplessness. With social distancing norms being implied it’s very difficult to be physically present for anyone in need. 

But we can all still help each other in these desperate times by donating for a good cause, being responsible citizens by wearing masks, and feeding stray animals. 

Even a phone call to an old friend by simply asking how they are doing could be a great help. You should not feel guilty about not being physically present. Remember that we all are trying our best to get through this situation. 

Be Kind to Yourself and Others

This situation has been challenging for all of us. So it is important to be kind to yourself and remember the fact that you are not alone in this. But this doesn’t make your struggles less important. 

Remember to appreciate yourself and take a moment to look back at how far you have made it till now. Believe in yourself and we’ll all get through this.While being kind to yourself is important, being kind to others is equally important. 

Remember that a disease is not connected to any race, ethnicity so we should speak up if we hear such negative stereotypes. We can ensure kindness through the right outlook and intentions.


Written by – Tanishaa Mehdiratta
Edited by - Akanksha Sharma