How to Relieve Stress in the Face of the Coronavirus

May 18, 2020 by Melissa

 

Even short moments of connecting to an internal sense of calm and safety will be beneficial during this testing time. Here’s how to create an inner haven you can retreat to whenever you feel overwhelmed.

Feeling fearful and anxious at a time such as this is normal and appropriate. Given the nature of the threat we are facing, fear and anxiety are adaptive responses as they alert us to the fact that we need to be taking appropriate action to look after ourselves and others. It’s also important to recognize that if we’re not careful, fear and anxiety can quickly reach a tipping point, beyond which they may start to affect us in negative and unhelpful ways. When the acute stress response, otherwise known as the ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in we’re no longer able to think clearly or make good decisions. We become more reactive and less responsive and our thinking can spiral, becoming increasingly negative and difficult to unhook from.

How to recognize the stress response:

• Hyperarousal
• Hypervigilance
• Excessive business
• Defensiveness/reactivity
• Excessive judgment/over-reaction

As we navigate this coronavirus pandemic it’s important that we all take the necessary precautions (e.g. physical distancing, regularly washing hands and not touching your face) to keep ourselves and others as safe as we possibly can. It’s also important to repeatedly take deliberate actions to help settle and soothe your nervous system by cultivating and connecting to a feeling of calm and safety within.  Even short moments of connecting to an internal sense of calm and safety will be beneficial, helping you reset and find the middle ground between overwhelm and denial. It’s from this place that you’ll be able to make better choices to best support you and those around you.

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3 quick ways to calm yourself

1. Move

Any kind of physical movement is a great way of releasing the build-up of excess energy that accompanies the acute stress (‘fight or flight’) response – take yourself for a walk or run outside; do some stretching, yoga or some other form of mindful movement; or crank some uplifting music and dance around the house for a few minutes.

2. Breathe

When you slow your breathing rate down the uncomfortable physical sensations of fear and anxiety start to subside. Try the following: Stop what you’re doing, take three long, slow deep breaths.  Impose a rhythm on your breathing so that your out-breath becomes longer than your in-breath.  Try a 4-2-6 rhythm – i.e. breathe for 4 counts, hold your breath for 2 counts, and breathe out for 6 counts.  If that doesn’t feel comfortable, try imposing a 3-1-4 rhythm. The main thing is that your out-breath is slightly longer than your in-breath.

3. Ground

Connect to what is happening in this moment right now more consciously engaging your senses. Try the following:

• Splash cold water on your face
• Take a hot (or cold) shower
• Cuddle your pet
• Smell and/or diffuse a relaxing essential oil (e.g. lavender, geranium, ylang ylang)
• Take a moment to enjoy a cup of tea – really pay attention to the aroma and taste

Let it all go

In addition to the various ways you can give your brain a break, listed above, we invite you to also consider that, as you are reading this, in this very moment,  right now, you are essentially okay. You have enough air to breathe; your heart is still beating; your body, while possibly a little fatigued or tense; is essentially okay. Do your best to connect to a felt sense that in this moment right now you are basically okay.

Even just for a moment see if you can let go of unnecessary worry and uneasiness. While there may have been times in the past when you’ve not been okay, and we don’t know what the future holds, see if you can acknowledge that in this moment right now you are essentially alright.

This is not about denying or pushing away the reality of the health crisis we are all grappling with. It’s about finding ways to give your mind and body a break by connecting with what is actually happening in this moment, right now.

You can still be aware of what’s happening around you and inside you. You can still deal proactively and thoughtfully with the current challenges. In fact, doing so from a place of a felt sense of being okay will help you think more clearly, creatively and flexibly, as well as connect to and care for yourself and others more deeply.

By consciously and deliberately connecting to a place of calm and safety inside, even if only momentarily, multiple times a day, you can help settle and soothe your nervous system. This builds resilience making you more able to take sensible precautions without overreacting.

This article was originally published and kindly provided by SMILING MIND.