Overcoming Anxiety During Covid-19 Pandemic

Dr. Arti Gupta

At present everyone in the world is well aware with Corona virus. It has affected our everyday life. So much has changed in such a short time. We all know what measures we should take to prevent the spread and are following daily. Here, I ‘m going to tell you about few things that we should adopt to boost our family mentally especially our children.

It’s natural for everyone to feel anxious during crises. Anxiety is a normal emotion that we need to pay attention to protect ourselves. It’s a sudden reaction to feel the need for safety, predictability and control. But, when this becomes overwhelming, we are unable to face the challenge. So, here I’m giving few tips to help you and your family to cope up with anxiety. They are:-

• Follow the expert guidelines for health and safety. When you do these things, you protect your whole family and community. Be a good role model for your kids. Let them see that you are following the guidelines.

• Accept anxiety as one of your many emotions. Don’t ignore it, fight it. Don’t judge yourself for feeling it. You are a human being. Just say to yourself, “OK! I’m again anxious”. This will help reduce the concern. Let your kids know it’s normal to feel stressed during these times. Recognizing these feelings and telling, “However bad the times are, they will pass and life will be normal once again” will help build resilience power in children.

• When you notice anxious thoughts, don’t dwell on them. Direct your attention to things that will help you to be calm. You can do meditation, exercise, yoga, drawing, painting, dancing, listening music, reading, cooking or whatever you like (which will engross your mind completely).

• Stay in touch with your loved ones. Feeling close to others reduces anxiety and boosts our immune system. We can reach them by phones via chatting, audio and video calls. Strictly, practice physical distancing.

• Make a habit of spending some time with nature- in your garden or with pots in your balcony. Encourage your kids to do so. This lowers anxiety and raises emotional well-being. Even if you don’t have natural plants at home, spend time with the artificial ones kept in vases- by rearranging them and appreciating the beauty.

• Find ways to be active as this boosts immune system. Don’t pass time in lethargy. There are plenty of ways to be active staying indoors. Engage your kids in different activities. This is the time they can develop skills.

• Be aware of how your kids get information (news), especially those who go online. Give healthy guidance so that they don’t scare up with incorrect information.

• Speak calmly with kids, not in an upset tone when you discuss the crises. Give them space to share their fears. Answer their questions with love and assurance. Don’t panic them. Make them feel safe. Also, don’t offer more detail than your child is interested in.

• If you don’t have answer for your kids questions. Just don’t neglect. Find out together. Encourage them to focus on recovered cases and not deaths. Assure them that the health workers are honestly doing their work. Also, scientists are sincerely working to develop a vaccine. These talks will emotionally help to control their anxiety.

• Make your kids remain in contact with your relatives via phone calls as they worry more about others especially grandparents than themselves.

• Encourage your kids to wear masks. Make this their routine habit so that they are not uncomfortable later when they have to wear out. Wearing masks to older kids may not be a big deal. Some kids may even be eager to wear. But, the parents have to deal gently with babies and younger kids to whom seeing people in masks and getting themselves used to might be quite awkward. As they connect to persons with friendly smile which now gets hidden behind the masks. Slowly and gradually parents should make these toddlers comfortable with masks by soothing words and connecting them to superheroes, heroic tales etc.

• Encourage kids to make masks at home. Teach them how to do so. For smaller kids encourage them to make designs on masks according to their choices. This will motivate them to use it and they will be less anxious while wearing.

• Make healthy conversation with family members about the current events, Covid-19 crises and other things. Maintain your balance by coping with your anxiety. All these don’t mean ignoring problems. Rather, we can prepare ourselves in a positive way, being emotionally sound with good immune system to fight the situation and come out as a winner.