Just thinking about the outbreak of a novel virus like the coronavirus disease 2019 may be stressful for people. The fear and anxiety about a disease can be very overwhelming and cause strong emotions. Learning ways to cope with stress will make you mentally stronger to deal with whatever may come.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. How you respond to the outbreak can depend on your background, the things that make you different from other people, and the community you live in.”

(https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html)

Due to the ongoing details of the crisis and the explosion of media coverage, certain individuals are more likely to respond stronger to stress. These include: people over the age of 60 and those with chronic diseases that are likely at higher risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome due to COVID-19, individuals in health care who are having to respond to the outbreak, and anyone with uncontrolled mental health conditions or substance abuse issues.

The CDC and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report that stress can be exhibited in many different ways but often include:

Difficulty concentrating
Feelings of shock, numbness, disbelief, anxiety or fear
Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones
Changes in sleep or difficulty sleeping and nightmares
Worsening of chronic health problems
Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems and skin rashes
Changes in appetite, energy and activity levels
Increased substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco and drugs)

More importantly, here is what the CDC and SAMHSA suggests to help support and cope with stress:

Take deep breaths
Take breaks - make time to unwind with mindfulness/meditation
Stretch and exercise regularly
Eat healthy, well-balanced meals
Get plenty of sleep
Connect with others - talk to people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling
Stay informed
Avoid excessive exposure to media coverage
Avoid excessive alcohol and tobacco
Seek help when needed

Take Deep Breaths

Here are some videos to help guide you through using breathing techniques to cope with stress and anxiety.

Box or Square breath is a breathing technique to help you relieve stress when you are anticipating it. Watch to understand and practice how to do Square breathing.

A short video to describe and talk through performing the 4:7:8 breath for relaxation.

Nadi Shodhana pranayama or alternate nostril breathing is a breathing yoga practice that uses balancing the breath on the left and right sides of the body to create focus of the mind, relax the body and calm the autonomic nervous system.

With breathing, there are some specific essential oils that are known to aid coping with stress and anxiety.

This video will instruct you in how to make an aromatherapy inhaler with therapeutic and evidence-based effective essential oils.

Stretch and Exercise Regularly

As individuals are performing self-quarantine or deciding that social distancing for them means not leaving their home, exercise can start to get limited. Here are several videos to help guide you through some therapeutic yoga to keep your body moving.

This therapeutic yoga class will allow you to not only learn what constitutes the “core” but also how to get these muscles to efficiently fire up to be used and then strengthen them. Included in this video is a short laughter yoga session and a guided meditation to help further understand the concepts of the “core”.

A therapeutic yoga class with a guided breathing exercise to get your spine moving and wake up your diaphragm, a modified Sun Salutation starting in kneeling to focus on control of the hamstrings and trunk without the worry of balance in standing, gentle hip opening and ending with a guided loving kindness meditation.

This video will instruct you on exercises in sitting and laying down to help increase the mobility or range of movement of the rib cage and thoracic spine (middle back) to help ease pain, tension and tightness in the neck and low back.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Enjoy my Top 10 Tips for Better Sleep video to help you get some improved zzz’s. Also, if you are having difficulty finding comfort in sleep positions, check out these videos for sleeping on your back and side or a guided yoga class to better sleep.

Ideas on how to take the habit of sleep and change it to create the best healing environment for your body to get the most efficient sleep.

Instruction/education on how to efficiently sleep on your back to have a restful and healing night’s sleep.

Instruction/education on how to efficiently sleep on your side to have a restful and healing night’s sleep.

A guided yoga class that you can be perform before bedtime to help encourage your body to be relaxed and restful.

Connect with Others

Please join me any Tuesday or Thursday @ 10am at Dance Theatre of Greenville located at 1791 Woodruff Road, Greenville, SC 29607 for a Therapeutic Yoga class. No issues keeping the 3-6 foot social distance rule since class is held in a nice big clean dance studio. If social distance requirements become more restricted, then feel free to check out the many therapeutic yoga classes located on HEAL’s YouTube channel.

Seek Help When Needed

If stress, anxiety, grief and worry start to impact your ability to do your activities of daily living for several days or weeks, talk to a clergy member, counselor, health care provider, or contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.

Please connect, follow and have a conversation with us on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook - search HEAL Wellness and Therapy!

Please join me any Tuesday or Thursday @ 10am at Dance Theatre of Greenville located at 1791 Woodruff Road, Greenville, SC 29607 for a Therapeutic Yoga class.

Namaste,

Trudy Messer

Founder, HEAL Wellness and Therapy, LLC

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