Top tips for COVID anxiety

Hi @Zed1 Nice to meet you! Thanks for making this a discussion post. I'm a Community Guide here who has several mental illnesses including anxiety which results in panic attacks. I'm in Melbourne which is in stage 4 lockdown at the moment and I'm finding it hard to deal with at times.

Some things I'm doing to help me with my anxiety are:

- Getting crafty by doing some knitting, cross stitch and crochet. I find that these crafts help ease my anxiety by having something to focus on instead of the news around coronavirus information and it gives me a chance to relax. I like using different colours and this helps me get creative as well. I post on the Craft Corner thread if you want to see what I've done or join in.

- I write in my journal about what's going on as it helps me to get things out of my head and down on paper where I can see the issues and then reflect back on them or assist in problem solving with either my mental health support staff or just myself in general.

- Listening to music on my iPods and iPhone also helps to distract me.

- watching movies that I have on DVD is a great distraction

- I follow sport such as AFL, NRL, netball and tennis so watching that on tv is great for me when things are on
- I think limiting how much I follow and listen to news and reports on the issue is a help for me as I have several people in my life who are obsessed with watching the news conferences whenever the Victorian Premier has his say and that can cause my anxiety to increase. I therefore make sure only to spend a small time each day getting the most important information each day such as on a news feed and leaving it at that.
- Doing some form of exercise is also important such as going for a walk or even just sitting outside and listening to nature or the world go by can be beneficial as well for mental health as well as a form of distraction.
- Coming on the forums also helps as I get to talk to others about different topics and interests.

I hope these ideas help. I look forward to following along with this discussion post!

Judi9877☺️

@Zed1 Great idea starting this thread...and @Judi9877 you have a great list! I have heard from a lot of people that knitting is really theraputic. I tried it once but kept dropping stitches and ended up with a blanket instead of a scarf I also find journalling really helpful for processing my worries!

I have played around with watercolours before but am going to give arcrylic painting a go this weekend to keep my mind off things. I also like to get outside and take the dogs for a walk, and keep moving as much as I can.

I have been finding watching films or TV series with subtitles can really make me focus on what I am watching and keep me from thinking about what is going on in the world. I''ve been enjoying some Korean and Nordic crime / drama on Netflix, and I hear SBS on demand has a really incredible selection too!

Something that I think has been most helpful for me this round of isolation is completely avoiding alcohol. I would usually have a few drinks each night on the weekends out of boredom / habit but it would always leave me feeling incredibly anxious the following day.

Hope everyone is taking care and staying as well as they can during this time.

Hey @Zed1 I love this thread - thanks heaps for starting it. I have found looking into practices that focus on the "now", if you will. Such as Tibetan Buddhism or Mindfulness, it's super empowering and helps to kind of move with each crashing COVID wave 🙂 We also have a blog piece here that has been useful to use reflectively. How are you travelling with it today? Keen to hear your updates.

Thank you to all who replied.

Some really great helpful tips on how everyone is managing through this time.

I hope you are all well and i am always happy for a chat.

I hope some people from the community can take on some of the tips given.

@Zed1great thread, too many awesome ideas already!

I find getting out in nature - walking, looking at the birds and trees, listening to the sounds and breathing in the fresh air makes me feel alright during COVID - Stage 3 restrictions here.

@Zed Great Idea starting this!!! So many people need ideas around this right now.

I write a list of pleasurable activities I could do. Then I at least need to pick 1 to do each day NO MATTER how I feel. Here is my list

Listening to Music
Dancing
Singing
Reading a novel
Seaching youtube for stand up comedy

Pick a topic to learn about/google for the day

Go for a walk

Yoga
Stretching
Meditation
Video chatting as much as I can

Crack the code puzzles
Searching pinterest for positive and spiritual quotes

Write a short story

Games on my phone

This is also a list of 176 Adult Pleasurable Activities. Obviously a lot we can't do due to lockdown. It does stimulate ideas for me though.

https://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/er_handout_8.html

Wow @Aniela ! What a great list and I totally love your idea of writing down things you could do and then selecting one that you have to do each day. Another brilliant idea and one that I think I might choose to adopt, especially in this period of life that is covid-19. I also think it might be helpful in general for all people with mental health as well so well done!

How are you going @Zed1 @Bezak482 @Kess55 @Aniela and all forum members here with the covid-19 anxiety? For me, I'm at uni so some of my covid-19 anxiety has been redirected to studying in the form of listening to lectures and doing online things, as well as assessment tasks. I've also been listening to new music on Apple Music including downloading the new Taylor Swift album Folklore and doing some knitting. Feel free to keep posting as I find this thread to be very interesting and helpful!

Stay safe!

Judi9877

Thanks @Judi9877 for checking in! Sounds like you have some good activities to redirect your anxiety.

Thank you @Aniela for sharing such a great list and the idea for writing things down! I may have to try that too. I tend to write out some goals / key activities for the week on a Monday but I lose momentum by Wednesday or Thursday so revisiting this daily might help.

My anxiety has definitely been up this week and not sleeping well - I think in anticipation of restrictions lifting (or not) here in Vic.

One of my lockdown activities has been starting to work through the DBT Skills Workbook. I had grand plans at the beginning to create my own card for each of the skills and incorporate it into a watercolour painting project. I haven't got very far but I have made a start at least!

I am also intending on watching some Bob Ross paint alongs on YouTube in the evenings when I am feeling most anxious!

Hope everyone else is hanging in there and doing OK.

@Zed1 Great thread. I only found it today. Some great suggestions. 👍👍👍

@Clawde @Kess55 @Judi9877 @Aniela 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻