3 Ways to Fight Your Anxiety During the Pandemic
The ongoing pandemic has brought on another, far more silent but equally problematic health hazard — mental health decay. Lockdowns, COVID-19 induced stress, collapsing job markets, and a myriad of other issues are causing a noticeable spike in anxiety and depression in otherwise healthy individuals. Because of that, we’ve put together a short guide on how to fight anxiety during the pandemic.
Limit Your Exposure To Stressful Information
Information overload is one of the leading factors that negatively impact the quality of life of modern humans. However, this issue has become even more accentuated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of us are locked in our homes where we are constantly bombarded by negative and rather stressful information. That’s not healthy under normal circumstances, let alone under high-stress scenarios such as the one we’re going through right now.
Limiting your exposure to such information can greatly reduce your risk of suffering an anxiety attack. Fortunately for everyone, we live in a world where we get to choose what type of information we’re exposed to. Do your best to filter out any negativity.
Try CBD
Cannabis is slowly becoming recognized worldwide for its health benefits. That being said, you don’t need to smoke marijuana to reap these benefits. There are non-psychoactive cannabis derivatives, such as various CBD products, that have the potential to take the edge off without sending you on a trip. In fact, CBD oil has been showing promising results in treating anxiety and similar disorders when taken regularly.
Even though there is still plenty of research to be done, trying CBD is completely harmless and a much better alternative to prescription drugs or other more conventional medication. You can source CBD from various vendors both on and offline, but it is strongly suggested that you stick with companies that have a proven track record of delivering quality products to their customers.
Develop a Rhythm
Forcing yourself to follow a relatively strict schedule is a great way to prevent your mind from going deep into the “what if” territory where anxiety is hiding. Figure out a routine that you can follow every day and stick with it no matter what.
Try to wake up at the same time, eat breakfast at the same time, most importantly try to work out every or every other day. Keeping yourself focused on micro-goals, such as meeting that next objective on your schedule, is a great way to curb anxiety. However, it’s not all about the distraction either. Every time you tick off a box on your daily schedule, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, no matter how tiny the task.
Give Yourself a Chance
Positive reinforcement will lead to a small but steady production of dopamine that will keep you going through the day. The method described above is something you can also use when the pandemic is over. It’s a proven way to help yourself and curb the effects of anxiety and depression. The key is to give yourself an honest chance at establishing a positive pattern. That means, trying to stick to a routine for a longer period of time.
