COVID-19 and Anxiety

By Kiley Hanish, OTD, OTR/L

The past week has been intense, to say the least. As a highly sensitive person, I easily absorb the energy around me.

With the widespread fear and panic due to the coronavirus pandemic, I am a bit on edge, feeling like I’m walking a fine line between maintaining some sense of calm in this turbulence and completely losing it.

In this situation, we are all feeling uncertainty and a lack of control.

Here is what I notice in myself...I am:

not sleeping well
more irritable with my kids, not having the patience that I would normally
hyper-sensitive to other people’s energy
unable to focus

This situation is likely a trigger for many of us, taking us back to those times in our liBy Kiley Hanish, OTD, OTR/Lves when we have felt completely out of control and afraid.

I consider awareness of being triggered a huge first step into managing my anxiety.

It’s also challenging because my routine is disrupted. My children are now home and school is moving to an online platform. I’m unsure of how I am going to continue working, while helping them be home-schooled, all while not having my much-needed alone time.

Here is what I’m trying to do to calm my brain and nervous system:

Limiting how much I listen to/watch the news
Reducing social media time
Asking someone I trust to share information on an as-needed basis
Meditating (loving Sarah Blondin’s meditations on Insight Timer)
Cooking and baking
Taking walks in nature
Drinking tea
Taking a shower or bath before bedtime
Creating quality time with family
Facetime with friends
Facetime with my therapist
Keeping hand sanitizer in my car and using frequently

We’d love to hear how you are managing your anxiety in this current situation. And if you feel like you are not managing well (totally reasonable that this is the case), is there anything you can take from the list above and incorporate into your life?

Learn more about Dr. Kiley Hanish here.