CORONAVIRUS FEAR: 5 COPING TIPS

I don’t know about you, but life with coronavirus in the world feels pretty overwhelming right now. Each day brings more news about closings – borders, schools, workplaces, restaurants, bars, shopping malls and more. Airports look like ghost towns. And yet, I do believe we can get through this crisis. Both individually and, collectively. What can you, as an individual, do to get through these scary times? Read on to understand Coronavirus Fears: 5 Coping Tips to help you get through it all.

• Assess and Protect Your Own Health First
• Find an Anchor Memory and Hold On
• Create a Daily Practice
• Stay Connected to Others
• Make a Plan for the Future

Assess and Protect Your Own Health First

It’s easy to feel like we are all standing on a slippery slope with a tangled view of the future. Keeping a safe social distance is a start, but what else can you do? First, realistically examine your own health history now and in the past. How strong is your immune system? Do you easily catch a cold? Are you prone to respiratory infections? 

If you are in a high risk group due to age or underlying medical conditions, take all the steps you can to improve your body’s ability to fight off this virus. For people over 50, coronavirus often brings respiratory problems, which can sometimes be fatal. Personally, I am in the at-risk group because of underlying health issues which affect my lungs and my joints, and medicines that weaken my immune system. While I don’t get colds very often, I get pneumonia easily and it knocks me down hard every time.

Flu Shots and Pneumonia Shots

In October, I had a flu shot, which I usually do. About two weeks ago, I stopped by my pharmacy to get a free pneumonia shot as well. The pharmacist said the shot offers protection for 10 years against 23 strains of pneumonia. Will a pneumonia shot save you from the coronavirus? No. But, would a pneumonia shot be helpful to protect your respiratory system? It could be, and I am willing to take that chance. If you choose to get a pneumonia shot, first consult with your own doctor and check your insurance coverage.

Find an Anchor Memory and Hold On

Second, tap into your inner strength. I believe you can get through this crisis. Although you may feel like you’re floating all alone, as a mature woman, you’ve undoubtedly faced challenges before. One way to cope with your fear now is to look back through your own history. Think of a time when you had to adjust to a tough new situation. What did you do to successfully get through that scary time? Use this memory as an anchor to calm you and give you courage.

For example, one memory from my past is an experience that took place when I was 12 years old. That summer, I went away to a two-week camp in Upstate New York. My mom had read about this YWCA camp on the shores of one of the beautiful Finger Lakes where we vacationed as a family. According to the brochure, it had all sorts of crafts, nature activities, and water sports – a “perfect” summer experience for girls. 

Struggling in a New Environment

There were ten campers in my cabin, and all of them were from New York, except me. From the very first day, I felt like I wasn’t cool enough for the group. Without a boyfriend to talk about, I clearly didn’t fit in. Although we had a kind counselor who was with us most of the time, I felt very lonely and anxious.

One afternoon, I remember swimming with our group in the very cold lake, and being grateful that no one noticed my face was wet because of the tears that kept slipping down my cheeks.

After 20 minutes, I was shivering as the whistle blew and ended our time in the water. Before I turned to swim to the ladder, I caught a glimpse of a girl water-skiing behind a power boat full of people laughing as it sped out of sight. Bouncing up and down in the waves from the boat’s wake as they washed ashore, it struck me that my misery would come to an end too.

The camp was only two weeks long, and it was already the fourth day. I knew I could survive for 10 more days. From that point on, whenever I felt anxious, I would think of the future and all the fun I had ahead of me with my friends back home. 

Create a Daily Practice

Third, organize your day. Do you have a daily routine? When life is uncertain, it’s good to create certainty. This is why teachers often have kids do an activity when they first arrive in the classroom. You can benefit from this practice too.

To start, pick just one new thing to do for the week, and see if it helps you feel a little more in control. There are plenty of options out there. A daily practice that is good for your heart, soul and health could be a good choice right now.

In addition, get outdoors if you can. Spring has finally arrived in our area. The cherry blossoms are out in Washington, DC, and we’ve been seeing the first signs of daffodils and other flowers peek out.

A friend who loves gardening told me that she has already begun working in her yard, trying to clear out the winter leaves from her garden plot. My sister mentioned she is walking her newly adopted rescue dog three times a day now that her gym is closed. 

Most importantly, anything that gets your heart pumping is a good choice. According to Harvard Health newsletter, “Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system.” What exercise do you enjoy doing? Or what exercise could you begin? Even walking up and down the steps to do laundry counts in my book.

Mindful Daily Practices

A few years ago, while I was dealing with a serious illness, I began a new routine each morning by reading a devotional to lift my spirits. I found that it really helped frame my day in a positive way, and I still do it today.

What you choose is not important, just finding a quiet activity is the goal. If you’re a creative, maybe a little time writing in a journal is an option. Oprah and others talk about the benefit of keeping a gratitude journal. When you feel overwhelmed, it can help you remember some of the silver lining moments in your life.

Focus on Your Diet

Similarly, improving how and what you put inside your body is a good practice to choose. Stay hydrated and increase your sleep to help your immune system stay strong.

Try adding more immune building foods to your meals. Choices high in Vitamin C (like oranges, grapefruit, strawberries and red peppers) can help the body by forming antibodies to help fight infections. Food rich in Vitamin A (like sweet potatoes, broccoli, and carrots) are not only tasty and colorful, they help regulate your immune system and protect your body from infection. 

Stay Connected to Others

Fourth, you are not alone. This is a global pandemic and we are all in this together. Sadly, social isolation can be a consequence when sheltering in place. If you have a pet, snuggle with them. And consider checking in on the people you know and care about in your life. Family, friends, work colleagues, and even neighbors might be feeling lonely and anxious too. Just touching base with a short “hello, how are you?” might mean the world to them.

For example, how many people are you connected to online? When was the last time you talked to all the people listed as your social media contacts? Try picking one person a day and reach out to them. At the very least, it might be a nice surprise, and it can help you reconnect with people you’ve lost touch with over time.

If you have a contact that is in another country, it could be especially helpful to hear and share tips on how to cope with this pandemic. We can all learn from each other.

Make a Plan for the Future

Fifth, look to the future. “There’s always tomorrow…” sings Annie in the musical of the same name. We are a world of survivors – we’ve made it through many wars, the plague, Ebola, SARS, etc. We will make it through this crisis too. And with all this time on your hands (no more long commutes), start dreaming about what you’d like your future to be. Consider this a chance to hit the reset button in your life.

Just for fun, try this experiment. Pick three categories that you would like to focus on for the time ahead when we are free of the coronavirus and the world goes mostly back to normal. Travel? Education? Finances? Your love life? Now is the time to start planning to make that dream become a reality. Hope is a powerful force. 

You Can Get Through This Crisis

Finally, it’s understandable that fear of the coronavirus is causing great anxiety, so much of what is happening is out of our control. Try and focus inward first, because self-care is very important right now to bolster your health. While you can’t control the virus, you can control your response to the anxiety you feel. Remember, we’re all in this together and you’ve conquered scary challenges before. You can get through this! Collectively, we will get through this. And what a beautiful new day that will be.

I’d love to hear from you. What coping tips can you share to help others?