Did you sneeze? Did someone close to you? A sudden spread of coronavirus has opened the Pandora’s box of panic, along with excessive worry and obsessive disease thoughts. Coronavirus anxiety has taken over the globe. In this moment, millions are hoarding supplies or spending the hours following the news in the home quarantine. Everyone is worried about catching it. However, you can actually prevent yourself from catching the virus as well as stopping this health anxiety.
Warmer weather is coming. Scientists expect the increase in temperature will kill the virus. But, until those days come, we need to work through the crisis.
Soon we’ll talk about ways how to get rid of Coronavirus Anxiety, but first, let’s cover the basics – how not to catch the virus.
So.. How to protect yourself from the coronavirus?
The steps are easy to follow!
- Wash your hands
That’s not something new, we learn this since we were kids. Wash your hands before eating, after eating, after you use the toilet and after you’re back home from visiting a public place.
- Wear a mask and Don’t touch your face
If you can, wear a mask with the air filter. If you’re wearing a medical mask, make sure the colored part of it is facing outside. Medical masks can help prevent droplets catching bacteria in the air from reaching you. This is very important if you’re visiting a crowded place. Also, don’t touch your face, at all – if possible!
- Stay Home or Avoid Crowded places
Staying home is the best way to ride out the storm. If you have to go out, avoid crowded places at all cost. Remember that your health is more precious than anything else, so if you don’t have anything extremely crucial to do in a crowded place, then avoid it.
How to Stop Coronavirus Anxiety?
And that’s it! But what’s more important is, how to stop the negative thoughts that come to your mind because of this virus? You’re probably constantly following the media and corona discussions on the internet. Stop doing that!
#1 Limit news exposure
First of all you need to limit your news exposure! Pick a medium you trust and visit it or turn it on three times a day. That’s more than enough to keep you informed. Too much news can worsen your anxiety and give you screen fatigue.
Once you do that, we can go on to some of the anti-anxiety tips to help you!
#2 Breathing exercises against Coronavirus anxiety
Breathing can be a very effective technique to reduce stress. This is a simple, yet very effective anti-anxiety breathing exercise:
- Keep your shoulders resting.
- Inhale deeply for 4 seconds (fill your lungs with air)
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds
- Repeat until completely calm.
#3 Meditate against Coronavirus anxiety
‘Relief’ is what meditation does to you in a nutshell. Among a variety of guided meditations, binaural beats and private meditations in your room or in your bed, find the one that suits you best.
Sit in a comfy position, be mindful of your breathing, and let the meditation magic work like a breeze, taking you away from all anxiety into a peaceful place. Meditate daily to reduce stress and relieve your coronavirus anxiety. Pandemic will pass. We should preserve our minds as well as our bodies.
Try this excellent guided meditation. Just click play and let go…
#4 Physical exercise
Honestly, physical exercises, especially jogging, helps most when I’m anxious. I’m sure they’re gonna help you too! Apart from helping you stay fit, exercising helps you get over anxiety. Your body releases toxins through sweat while boosting the happy hormone – serotonin.
Workout helps you distract yourself from negative thoughts and replace them with favorable ones. You can find the type of exercise that interests you the most. Dancing or Yoga also work!
The best part is, you can easily do full-body workouts from home! Just get up and click play.
Don’t forget about food. Proper diet along with proper exercise does wonders for anxiety. An anxious mind can be soothed with numerous natural remedies for anxiety, while some say Vitamin B complex helps as well.
#5 Trust in medical institutions.
The coronavirus being the most known virus that causes fear to everyone has caused the medical institutions to place tons of efforts to prevent the spread of this virus. So, if you’re doing your best to keep yourself from catching this virus, then you have to trust that the institutions have got the rest and can help prevent further spread of this virus.
If you are pregnant and feeling the consequences of this stressful period, check out our all-round article on dealing with pregnancy anxiety.
If you’re spending a lot of your time at home, because of the pandemic, you can use it to have fun and grow as a person. Try these unusual Top 9 things to do at home and forget about anxiety.
*If you’re having a hard time getting over your anxiety, then please reach out for professional help by a therapist.
That’s it, I hope you all stay happy and healthy!
Written by: Marina Tawfik
