How to deal with the stress and fears of Covid 19, the economic crisis and partial isolation?

The rapid spread and self-isolation of an infectious disease leads to a variety of experiences, such as fear of infection, anxiety about loved ones resulting in difficulty concentrating, sleep and appetite disorders, and psycho-emotional difficulties. Of course, being aware of what's going on is very important, but the first thing you can do is limit your time on social networks and the information environment to 1-2 times a day to listen to a reliable source about the situation or existing changes.

You still need to take care of your body, namely to rethink your daily healthy activities, eating and sleeping, you should give up alcohol and other addictive substances, as they only seem to improve your well-being for a while, worsen it later and cause serious physical and emotional damage.

Caring for a psycho-emotional state includes relaxation techniques, meditation, breathing exercises, awareness exercises that reduce anxiety, restlessness, and mood. Also here we must not forget about the activities that make us happy, be they hobbies or joint activities with the family. I cannot fail to mention the special importance of the conversation, so it is also worth speaking, telling your worries to relatives, friends or, if necessary, a specialist.

Stress and anxiety in these new circumstances arise because we are forced to be in conditions beyond our control or significant influence. We also feel bad, because our usual daily routine is changing rapidly, we have to adapt quickly to the new circumstances. Thus, it is important to focus on those things or processes that we can influence ourselves. Remember for yourself and remind your loved ones that it is normal to feel anxious or worried in this type of crisis. Feelings need to be expressed, and there are many different activities for this purpose - art and drawing, music, creative workshops, and so on. The daily routine, which should be set up to structure the day and avoid the unpleasant feeling that there is even more change, also helps to avoid stress. Even when quarantined or losing a job, it is important to create an agenda that includes physical activity. In times of crisis, we all turn to catastrophe, the thoughts "but if" appear, which make us feel even worse when imagining the most negative scenarios. Therefore, in such a crisis, it would be worth considering such questions - "What can I control?", "What is the probability of the worst outcome?", "What can I do now?".

Regular physical exercise at home is important. It could be stretching, gymnastics, it could also be an easy walk. Short moments of rest between works. Even if you have to work from home, you should take a 10-15 minute break every 45 minutes, during which you have to get up, walk and ventilate the room.

There should also be time for an activity that really brings joy and well-being. Caffeine and alcohol should be limited. Follow the basic principles of a healthy diet, improve sleep hygiene and prepare for sleep in the evening, for example, ventilate the room before bed, provide a comfortable mattress and bed linen. You could take a warm shower or bath. Before going to bed it is healthy to take a little walk in the fresh air, limit the viewing of news in the evening and before the night's rest. On the other hand, during the day at home, you may want to fall asleep, but this is not desirable for more than 20-30 minutes.

In times of crisis, difficulties can arise in the family not only between partners, but also between parents and children. Children are at risk of a more pronounced response to stress, so children should be given special support during COVID-19. Support can be facilitated by the example of the parents themselves, who take care of their own and their relatives' health, try to talk to each other calmly, follow the principles of a healthy lifestyle. Children's feelings, complaints, fears should be listened to and normalized. Several parents had difficulties in structuring the day for the children and during the home schooling process, so setting a time for study and leisure activities can facilitate adherence to the daily routine. Offer children a variety of stress-relieving activities or games. Also, allocate the appropriate time of day. It is also useful to plan family activities during which the family becomes even more united, perhaps everyone learns more about each other, such as board games together, reading a book aloud, exercises for the whole family together in the morning.

With regard to the family as a whole, in the context of COVID-19, it would be important to focus on the following steps: fostering a sense of security in the family, reassuring each other and supporting, communicating with each other and with relatives and friends, and promoting family cohesion. So it's important to follow all safety precautions and discuss it with your family, which will make you feel safer because you are in control of what you can. Reduce family activities that could increase anxiety, such as watching the news. Here again, the whole family should create a daily routine to stick to, but do not forget that the agenda should include fun joint activities, creative activities, gymnastics together. It is also valuable to promote decision-making strategies and develop new family skills for all together, new traditions, principles of constructing dialogue and a supportive environment. Whatever skills you want to develop or improve, the overall message could be based on the principles "We can handle it together!", "We don't always have to be perfect, and we can be less demanding at times!"

In these circumstances, the most important thing is to support and facilitate the conversation. The loss of a job that has happened to many people could be an unexpected event that cannot be prepared for. There are thoughts about what will happen next, negative assessments of the future, including self-blame. However, one should try to remind the person that work is not the only thing that makes us a personality. Each of us has skills, abilities and qualities that are valued, it remains to see them again. It must be remembered that the lack of work is not eternal, the situation will change and other offers may appear. Often we lose perspective, we tend to think rather negatively. In the aftermath of a job loss, it is important to encourage social contact, as isolation tends to create even more destructive and self-blaming reflections.

However, our body and brain like structured everyday life, so even in this case, a relative should be motivated to create an agenda, small tasks that should be done during the day. Particular attention should be paid to the mornings, because the morning sets the mood for the whole day.

Another way to help deal with strong feelings after losing a job, when self-blame or frustration is in and around yourself, is to involve people in activities that help others. It allows you to feel needed, important, satisfied with what you have done and keep motivated to move on. Such activity also reduces the feeling of loneliness and isolation that can occur in such conditions.