We made it through another day — another Q for you!
Let’s talk about Anxiety today because the collective Anxiety over Covid-19 is palpable.
Many have Anxiety humming alongside in their usual lives. Sometimes she is just purring quietly in the background and letting us get on with Life. Other times, Anxiety is loud and demanding of our attention.
Like now.
People who do not live with Anxiety cannot really understand what it is like to have that constant background noise, or how challenging it can be to get anything done when Anxiety is revved up. When Anxiety is poked, she is a demanding bitch indeed.
Covid-19 jumped out from a doorway in a big, scary mask and sent the collective Anxiety into overdrive. It also created new Anxiety for people who do not typically walk through the world with her as a constant companion.
Never mind the Zombies — Welcome to the Anxiety Apocalypse.
The results are predictable.
Some are spinning off to buy every roll of toilet paper within a quarantine-allowed radius.
Others are hopping mad, fighting the restrictions or the media or the memes on Facebook.
Some people are frozen and/or disassociated, flooded by their emotions and unable to process information or figure out what to do.
Fight, flight, freeze — that is what we do when we feel threatened. What makes Anxiety especially loud and demanding in the face of this new threat is that there is so much uncertainty associated with Covid-19, and uncertainty is rocket fuel for Anxiety.
Anxiety has been unleashed, and no — it is not pleasant nor should you expect it to be narrowly focused on Covid-19. When Anxiety gets poked, she sets us off on a Worry Train about EVERYTHING.
What I have done today is (hopefully) illustrate a technique for handling Anxiety — separating the problem from the person. It is easy to make Anxiety the whole of who and what we are — but it is not. Anxiety is something that shows up — we are not Anxiety.
Thinking this way can remind us that we have control, and can help us avoid catastrophizing or engaging in all-or-nothing thinking. Further, thinking of Anxiety as something external to the essence of who and what we are can help us remember the many internal and external resources we have to deal with Anxiety.
Dogs are exempt from the social distancing guidelines — hug away!
Some ideas:
Try to avoid saying things like, “I am anxious” or “I am an anxious person” and instead observe when Anxiety shows up.
“Anxiety is visiting again,” you tell yourself.
Take a few minutes to visit with Anxiety, and offer reassurance. Involve the other parts of who and what you are — Calm, Smart, Resourceful, and Rational — to get Anxiety to simmer down.
Recognize that Anxiety is likely to be a frequent companion right now — that is normal and expected. Understand her purpose is to serve as a reminder that you are managing in uncertain times. When she taps on your shoulder, just turn around and thank her, and let her know you got this.
Because you do.
Nudge for today: Make a list.
It could be about strategies to try when Anxiety shows up, or it could be what you want to accomplish today. Lists help us stay grounded and focused, and those are good things right now.
And remember — all you need to handle is right now.