How to Cope with Stress during the COVID Situation

It’s a hard-hitting time for everyone, as the second wave of COVID19 rages in India, causing a severe degree of impact. Far more have been diagnosed with the respiratory disease when compared to the previous wave, and the severity and casualty both have been much worse. This article offers pointers on how to deal with the pandemic situation, and try and stay positive and relaxed.

It is a grim situation, and no section has been spared. The virus seems to evade the predictions formulated by our best minds, and the overwhelming number of cases makes it difficult for governments the world over to take control of the situation.

Given the troubled times, it is natural that many of us feel fear, anxiety, uneasiness and a sense of dread. Some of us have undergone trauma at the loss of near and dear ones, and others have dealt with the severity of the disease in the dark, not knowing what is going to happen next. The picture of doom that we find in the media also leads to a good deal of stress.

We need to acknowledge that it’s perfectly okay to feel these emotions. Accepting that the mental turmoil is natural is the first step of dealing with it.

What can I do to for stress relief during the pandemic situation?

You can do a lot to make things better for yourself and your immediate community. No matter how bad a situation, you always have the power to address it and respond in ways that are positive and affirming.

1. Know that this too shall pass

No matter how terrible a phase, it shall pass, with time. Give yourself the time. Depending on the degree to which you’ve been affected by the situation, let yourself slowly move past the situation. Subsequently, you can encourage yourself to be positive again.

2. Gather your strength, slowly and consciously

This is a time for humankind to bank on its most important resource – sheer grit. Dealing with the trauma caused by the pandemic over such a prolonged period of time has brought much psychological stress and forced us to collectively examine our mental makeup.

We are encountering within and around us, the raw will to get on with life. The knowledge that we shall get through, come what may, is surfacing even as we face the challenge of a lifetime.

3. Focusing on what is within your control

It is important to list and remember the things that you can do.

To tell yourself, I can take care of my family’s nutritional needs, I can keep my mind occupied, I can check up on my neighbors, etc. would be a way of taking some matters into your control.

This helps you stay grounded and understand the responsibilities that you are in charge of.

4. Dealing with claustrophobia

A lot of people feel suffocated, being confined to their homes. Spending enough time on the balcony, interacting with plants at home, and putting out grain/food for birds and roadside animals can help you expand what is within your reach. Feeling in connection with the cosmos, through meditation, yoga, dance, etc. can be of much help.

5. Exercise

The benefits of exercise cannot be stressed enough now. Exercising helps let go of the stress that you’ve accumulated. It releases happy hormones in your body and provides rejuvenation. Further, it is a must to ensure fitness and good health when you’re confined to your home.

6. Have an outlet for your emotions and thoughts

It is important that we give ourselves the space to understand that there is a good deal of emotional turmoil within, simply because that’s how we react to the distress around us. It’s okay to feel frustrated or even helpless. Acknowledge it, and give yourself the time and the space to express it. Activities like keeping a journal, knitting, artistic expression and even cooking can be used as means to release pent-up emotion and manage stress better.

We at Devic Earth wish you peace and wellbeing. May we all be guided across to the light at the end of this tunnel.