Stress

Stress is part of life. Normally, it's the news, problems at work, and just the daily issues of life. Most sources of stress are small things we can learn to control and even control their effects. But stress during a pandemic is a totally new and unfamiliar kind of stress. Social distancing upsets nearly every part of our lives, including daily routines, finances, relationships, transportation, jobs, and healthcare.

Most of us are housebound or working from home, not able to see our families or friends, and not much normal human contact. So, it's important to handle pandemic stress as you would with any source of stress in your life in order to keep it under control. Focus on the things you can control instead of stressing about the things you can’t control.

Your normal routine has been disrupted but you can make a new routine. Try getting up at the same time every day, exercising, showering, meditating, journaling, tidying your home, or having a healthy breakfast. If you work from home make sure you have a work space and go to it every day to do your work.

Avoid constantly checking newsfeeds and limit yourself to once or twice a day. Turn off news alerts and get your information from one or two trustworthy news sources. A constant stream of bad or upsetting news will only increase stress levels. Social media such as Twitter can also be a source of stress so limit your time on them.

Finally, “this too shall pass”. The world has been through many troubling times including pandemics, world wars, political unrest, and the constant threat of nuclear war. This time is significantly challenging for many of us not having been through those events before. Still, if we stay focused on the things we can control and do what is good for our physical and emotional health it will be easier to look toward and plan for the future.