Control During COVID-19

How to focus on what you can control during a global pandemic

The current global pandemic, COVID-19, is leading many people to feel vulnerable, a loss of control, isolation, and immobilization. No matter the situation, if we focus on things that are not within our control, it can lead to feelings of depression or anxiety. Thus, it is important to refocus on safety, predictability, and what is within our control.

Safety

Making sure we are following distancing guidelines is one of the best ways to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. Focusing on hand washing and not touching your face (or picking your nose) is another way to prevent any spread of germs. When trying to do this myself, I realized just how itchy your face can be when you aren’t supposed to scratch it. Almost as hard as not thinking about a pink elephant when you are told not to (I bet you are thinking of a pink elephant now). Also, importantly, social distancing does not mean emotional distancing. We need to make sure we keep having conversations with family or friends, video chats, phone calls, group video games, and seeing others face-to-face in a safe manner (i.e., keeping 6 feet apart, trying to stay outside, and using a mask when necessary).

Predictability

We all need to work on our exposure to unnecessary stress, such as social media and news. You should consider using a “news diet,” by limiting the amount of exposure you have to these outlets each day. If we can do this, we also decrease the amount of stress we feel on a regular basis, freeing up mental energy to do things that could brighten our day. We cannot predict what will happen with this pandemic, but there are things we can predict, such as school restarting in some fashion (whether online, hybrid, or in person) and the sun setting tonight (unless you live in a seasonally full sun place like Alaska). Additionally, focusing on our routines or rituals can also help us know what to predict. This could be a night time routine, family dinner, or an evening walk. If nothing else, I can predict that I will be eating a piece of chocolate tonight.

Control

Just use your coping skills they say, it will be easy they say. I understand it isn’t always the easiest thing to use skills in the moment. However, you probably aren’t giving yourself enough credit for the skills you are already using. Are you doing any physical activity, reading, talking to friends, watching funny videos or memes, or distracting yourself? Boom. Those are coping skills. If you want to find more coping skills that work for you or to address what isn’t working for you, let’s chat about it. Take away: if you are focusing on what is beyond your control (e.g., other people’s thoughts or actions, events being cancelled due to COVID) it is time to refocus, regroup, and RE-read this because you might have skimmed part of it.

Doc Hotz