Living with a psychological disorder places a drain on our mental and emotional resources during the best of times, and during a global crisis like the coronavirus, everyone’s well of emotional resilience begins to come up dry. Millions of us are facing very real crises that we don’t have much if any, control over. But many more are vicarious witnesses to the tens of thousands of coronavirus tragedies that are ongoing in the nation. People with depression and anxiety disorders are highly susceptible to excessive worrying, which drains away our endurance.

When our reserves of resilience get low, the likelihood of depression or anxiety causing us significant problems rises. To head off trouble before it blooms into a full-fledged crisis, we need to develop some methods of maintaining our emotional balance. Here are just a few tried-and-true techniques to keep calm.

  1. Keep a journal. If you’ve got racing or repetitive thoughts that are sapping your mental energy, try writing them down. Write down each thought, or the theme of those thoughts. Next, write a more positive, contradictory thought or fact. Learning to dispute and confront your negative thinking is a crucial skill for stopping the cycle of worry. Not only that but by confronting and de-escalating your worries, you reduce your likelihood of panic attacks.
  2. Take a walk. Getting in motion causes the brain to release endorphins, a feel-good chemical, as well as dopamine, which helps ensure a positive mood. There’s no need to train for a 5K run. Slow, steady movement for 20 to 30 minutes daily can dramatically lower stress levels.
  3. Make plans and write them down. Sure, it’s hard to make plans for weeks in advance these days. However, try planning fun events that are no more than 48 hours away.
  4. Restrict social media to pleasure uses. The news these days is fraught with stress and strain. Consider using social media only to stay in touch with people you know well. In these troubling times, the quality of our contacts is more important than the sheer number of them.
  5. Establish and observe set times to check the news. Decades ago there were no all-news all-day channels. You got the news in the morning, at noon and in the evening. Think about adopting a similar schedule. Most of us are focusing on the bleakest news we can. We also seem to be addicted to checking the news throughout the day. By giving yourself permission to check the news at fixed times, you can feel sure you won’t miss anything, but you won’t be continually bombarded with grim news.

Damaris Aragon, ARNP, BC provides a full spectrum of mental health care to people in Spokane, Washington, and surrounding areas. She focuses on providing personalized, compassionate care that adheres to current evidence-based standards. Reach out to Damaris through her contact page or calling 509-342-6592.