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Coping With Stress Due To COVID-19
by Inna Lee, M.A. LMFT
How do you or your loved ones cope with the coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak? It can be very stressful. Today, the unprecedented time can trigger fears and anxiety in many of us. The age doesn’t matter. It’s important to know how the stress and your fears can affect you or your loved ones. The symptoms can include:
-increased or worsening anxiety or depression
-changes in sleep or eating patterns
-anger and impacted communication and relationship issues
-it can impact or worsening chronic health problems
-using substance as a way to cope
First step is to acknowledge your fears and anxiety and identify ways to stop the triggers that reinforce you negatively.
– Avoid exposing yourself or your children to listening or watching negative news.
-Identify your negative self-talk pattern and try to disrupt the pattern by creating a new way to distract yourself by focusing on pleasant and joyful activities.
The more you practice, the stronger your coping habits will become.
-Gratitude technique helps to desensitize anxiety
-You can practice meditation with guided visualization or any other forms of relaxation, such as breathing or mindfulness when you are focusing on one pleasant
or beautiful aspect of life. It can be simply green grass, the smell of a flower, or listening to your favorite song. Your choice!
-Speaking of the choice: It is about perception, like a half empty or half-full glass. We can choose to see the situation as negative and continue to suffer from
increasing anxiety or depression. Or, we can see a lesson or an opportunity to change some-thing in your life.
-When you are helping others, it can make you feel good about yourself and automatically, can reduce your stress and negative feelings. Identify how you can
help today and make the first step towards it.
-Sleep is very important for our mental health.
-Moving and exercising increases dopamine and serotonin level that can help you feel better.
-It’s time to take care of your physical health. Schedule an appointment to see your healthcare provider.
-Taking care of your mental health is as important as your physical health. Be in good shape physically and mentally.
If you or your loved one, your child or your family member or a friend, are in need of mental health care, do not ignore it.
Strong mental health can increase the immune system and ability to cope and fight with a dis-ease.
As a help to the community, our clinic will be giving away 30 FREE B-12 shots to help boost immune functioning and reduce stress. We are taking registrations for the FREE B-12 shots. It is on a first come-first serve basis and the number of shots are limited. The B-12 shots will be provided when the quarantine will be terminated.
To register for the FREE B-12 shots or to make a psychiatric or counseling appointment, call our office at (818)600-2034 and mention this post.
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