27 Dec Do not be overcome by anxiety in quarantine?
A first step is to plan our days flexibly to be calm and give our brain certainty
Are you worried about the problems that the quarantine may cause you? Not sure what to expect for the rest of the week or month?
“Anxiety is the fear or worry of what is coming; your brain does not like uncertainty, the more the brain knows what is going to happen, it is calmer and uses less energy ”, explains the teacher.
“When I don’t know what will happen later, it scares and worries me, but if I build what I want to come later I give certainty to my brain and it will not have anxiety,” he adds.
Some tips that the psychologist shares to face anxiety are:
Plan your week in a flexible way
Having an activity plan for each day of the week will help to be calmer, he points out, but you have to be flexible so as not to stress yourself in case something changes.
“A quick formula is a plan and relax; plan as much as possible what you have, both now and in the future, maybe tomorrow your plans will change, but you can dream ”, considers Villarreal.
“I can plan a virtual meeting with my friends, know what time I am going to do my homework or what time I am going to eat, schedule the purchases that I am going to make from the supermarket,” he added.
Adriana suggests doing this planning in the morning, even just after getting up to be more rested.
Write a list of your fears
To be able to deal with fears you have to write them on a sheet of paper, he recommends, so that your brain can better process the information and distinguish how rational it is that worries you.
“At night your brain is more tired and if you have negative thoughts the information you bring bouncing around your brain looks darker and more gloomy.
“If you write it, it goes through another brain processing that helps you discern how rational your information is, when you do it you realize that perhaps the world is not going to end as your concern makes you imagine,” he added.
Suggest to have this practice before sleeping to rest better; Also, it recommends talking about what you write on the list with someone who will help you organize your ideas and be calm.
Distinguish if your fears are normal
It is normal that in the face of the pandemic we have fears of things that previously seemed very common to us, however, it is important to know how to distinguish between rational and irrational fear, says Villarreal.
“Right now it is normal that you are afraid of getting sick when before it was something that did not worry you so much, but if fear overwhelms you and does not let you live then you need professional help, ” he explains.
One of the most common fears, says Adriana, is losing things in your life, such as routines that you had daily, for that she recommended analyzing what is and what is not essential.
“It is something very soul-shaking because it takes away things that you depend on, so you realize that the most important thing is things like your relationship and affection with others or your inner peace, good things that are permanent.”
Disconnect before sleep
Adriana suggests that before bedtime you give yourself a moment to relax and disconnect from negative thoughts.
“Learn to disconnect, because later we don’t sleep well and we wake up more tired and think more badly; the more tired we are, the worse the world looks and the more anxiety it gives you. “
He advises practicing relaxation techniques to find peace of mind, such as deep breathing, thinking about good things in the day, or mindfulness.
Approach your spiritual beliefs
The teacher points out that some people tend to take refuge in their spiritual beliefs to find stability and peace of mind.
“ If your spiritual beliefs give you peace (then) hold on to them. There are people who in moments of crisis discover stability in their faith, that can guide them to find a way to be calm, “he added.
There are many ways to cling to beliefs, he thinks, it can be from looking at horoscopes, reading a book on philosophy that helps you calm down, or saying a prayer.
If you don’t improve, get help
The psychologist considers it important to distinguish when fear or anxiety overwhelm you and do not let you go on with your life, affect your relationships with others, or even cause physical alterations that damage your health.
In that case, he recommends seeking professional help for tools and strategies to help you deal with whatever worries you so that you can find peace of mind.
“It is worth asking for professional help, it is something we may not be used to, but it is very important; Right now there are many ways to ask for help.
“It is brave to ask for help, do not wait to ‘thunder’ to ask for emotional support, ” he considers.
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