Staying Sane During Isolation!

One common effect of anxiety is to feel isolated and alone – like no one understands or cares about you. This can be compounded by being in the middle of a pandemic – because to some extent we need to stay away from others in order to remain healthy.

Here are some ways to help you feel calmer and happier even if you do need to pull back from normal human contact a bit.

· Change your thoughts – instead of, “I’m stuck at home and can’t go anywhere”, try telling yourself, “I finally have time to get some projects done!”

· Keep to your normal routine as much as possible. Structure is reassuring and comfortable. So keep the same bedtime, continue exercising, do laundry, etc. You’ll feel calmer and more in control this way.

· Clean things up. A cluttered, chaotic home (or office or car) causes and increases stress and anxiety. So if you’re stuck at home use the time to organize and declutter. You’ll feel much more at ease when you do.

· Continue to practice good self-care. Resist the urge to be a slug – lying around all day eating junk food will rapidly increase bad feelings. Eat healthy, go

outside, exercise, get enough sleep, play with your dog, etc.

Doing all the above will help make sure that even if you do end up stuck at home for a few days to weeks, you won’t come out of it feeling totally stressed and anxious! Take some deep breaths – you’ve got this!