COVID Anxiety? 4 Signs Your Mental Health Is on the Coronacoaster and What to Do About It
Lockdowns. Isolation. Social unrest. Being afraid of our mask-less neighbors, family and friends. Being afraid of each other in general.
Being afraid of a virus with a lot of awful symptoms and even more unknowns.(1)
In the background, Covid-19 hums steadily. It's ravaging communities, filling hospitals to the brim and devastating families. It is entirely unconcerned with who said what in that Facebook argument you had on Tuesday.
This year has been exhausting, and it’s only July.
We’re dutifully donning masks. (Note: You should be dutifully donning a mask.) We’re wringing our hands over whether to send the kids back to school. We’re struggling with unemployment and paying the bills that just keep coming.
One day, you’re doing okay. The next, you’re struggling to get out of bed.
Sound familiar? Well, congratulations!
You’ve found yourself on the Coronacoaster.
Covid anxiety is real.
Sure – a lot of this has been building for a long time. Portions of the United States have been retreating deeper and deeper into their political corners. Unscrupulous social media platforms, “fake news” peddlers looking to make a quick buck and morally-bankrupt politicians all benefit from a populace that’s ever-eager to turn on itself.
Even while we’re all sweating it out for one reason or another.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, 36% of Americans said the Covid-19 pandemic was having a significant impact on their mental health(2) – and that was back in March, before there were Covid hotspots all over the country.(3) It only makes sense to assume that anxiety has increased for those of us already prone to struggling with it, and it’s likely claimed some new members for its ranks, as well.
So how can you tell if Covid anxiety has begun to take its toll?
There are signs.
You’re having difficulty sleeping – or you’re sleeping too much.
Anxiety can wreak havoc on our sleep quality, causing everything from insomnia to nightmares. And for the ultimate vicious cycle, a lack of quality sleep can contribute to our overall anxiety.
While one bad night here or there is nothing to be concerned about, a consistent pattern of poor sleep can mean that our anxiety has increased enough to be unhealthy.
The opposite may be true, as well. Sleeping too much can also become a problem.
Your eating habits have changed.
With the loss of structure and so many of us being tethered to our homes, our eating habits can easily slip and change. And not every change is a bad one – not having to pack a lunch in advance, for example, might mean you’re eating even better. Especially if you were prone to forgetting and just grabbing fast food or a sandwich from the convenience store every day.
But there’s a strong link between anxiety and disordered eating(4), so if you find yourself bingeing or eating emotionally, it might be time to give it some extra thought.
You’re finding it tough to concentrate.
I like to call this one “jumping brain.” I’ll sit down to do something – anything! – and before I know it, my mental to-do list has grown exponentially, and I can’t even recall why I sat down in the first place.
It’s upsetting. It’s draining. And if you’re beating yourself up for not managing everything extra you’ve put onto that mental to-do list, then it’s downright demoralizing.
With our anxiety ratcheted up so far, our brains are looking in every possible direction to seize a little bit of control over our days. It gets difficult to concentrate on any single task(5), even when we know we’ll feel better if we do.
You’re restless, irritable and on edge.
Similarly, if you’re finding yourself more irritable, restless and a little edgier than usual, you might be suffering from an increase in anxiety. (And if you are well-acquainted with your anxiety, then you likely recognize this symptom as an old frenemy.)
Feeling restless when we’re being asked to stay at home isn’t hard to believe – but extreme restlessness can be a sign of something more. If you’re feeling jumpy or fidgety or having an uncommonly tough getting your body to relax, your anxiety may be to blame.
When we’re anxious, our nervous system is on high alert. Our entire body is involved in trying to identify ways to fend off some elusive perceived threat. And this leads to snappish responses, being more easily startled and irritability in general.
Here’s what you can do to keep your anxiety under control.
This is a scary time.
There’s no getting around it, and trying to “think positively” your way through it is probably not going to work. Because the usual, Instagram-brand practice of “positivity” denies our real feelings and makes us really vulnerable to harsh reality checks.
But even in all the uncertainty, we can find moments of stability, calm and even joy. Maybe those moments aren’t in the places you usually look, but they’re there to be found, even still.
Focus on what you can control.
There’s a lot we don’t yet know about COVID-19, but there’s also a lot that we do. (That’s great news!) Thankfully, that includes how it spreads and all of the things we can do to keep ourselves pretty reasonably safe. Stay home as much as you can, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face, wear a mask when you leave the house and do your best to stay socially distant, or six feet away from those who don’t live with you.
Consider a media detox.
Even if you aren’t a conspiracy theorist, it’s plain to see that all kinds of media compete for our attention with ever-escalating, anxiety-inducing tactics. How many “breaking news!” alerts does one person need in a day? Decide on one or two reliable, vetted sources to keep yourself informed, and be mindful of how often you check in with them.
Cultivate new interests.
Are there books on your bookshelf you’ve been meaning to read? Did you want to take up painting, try to teach yourself an instrument or finally grow some herbs in the backyard? Maybe you think it’d be fun to buy an old Nintendo and relive your childhood. You can do all or none of these things – it’s your call! But using this time to cultivate a new interest or refocus on an old one is a good way to keep your mind occupied on something other than anxious thoughts.
Move your body.
You don’t need a whole new exercise routine, but you should try to move your body every day, in whatever ways feel good. Walking, yoga, dance parties… It doesn’t particularly matter what it is, but regular movement and exercise have been proven to decrease anxiety(6), and it’s worth giving them a shot.
Be patient with yourself…
This is no time to be hard on yourself. Don’t listen to the self-professed online “gurus” who are preaching the need for productivity right now. Focus on what calms you and brings you happiness. Talk to friends, family, your partner, your pets. (Really. They’re good listeners.) Just be kind to yourself.
...And if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask.
Professional help is always available, and it comes in many forms! You can use the “find a therapist” tools at ADAA.org or PsychologyToday.com, or check out virtual options like BetterHelp or TalkSpace.
Endnotes
1. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/06/23/864536258/we-still-dont-fully-understand-the-label-asymptomatic
2. https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/new-poll-covid-19-impacting-mental-well-being-americans-feeling-anxious-especially-for-loved-ones-older-adults-are-less-anxious
3. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5766013/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29175616/
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6048763/
