How to Handle Stress + Anxiousness About Coronavirus
We are going through some wild AF times right now. The Coronavirus pandemic has so many of us on the edge of our seats in the worst way. It’s okay to feel anxious but let’s not stay there. I’ve put together a list of 3 strategies that you can use to help you navigate a major disruption, like Coronavirus, as productively as possible.
Before I get into that though, I wanted to let you know that I am sending you so much love as we take on such an unsettling season. You are not alone, please know that. If you need a community to rally around you, the gals in the Hustle Sanely Squad Facebook group have been lifting one another’s spirits and offering words of wisdom and encouragement. You are more than welcome to join us there if you’re not already a member of the group.
I don’t want to talk too much about Coronavirus specifically, because I know your social media feeds are probably bursting at the seams with information (and opinions, lol) about it and my intention with this episode is not to add to the noise.
I’m writing this on Sunday, March 22 and as of right now all bars and restaurants are closed in Tampa, where I live, for the remainder of March. Schools are closed until at least April 15. I don’t know what the future holds and honestly, I don’t even know what is going on the day this airs. There are a lot of norms being shaken up and we’re all having to learn how to adjust to a new temporary normal.
So let’s chat about how to handle MAJOR DISRUPTIONS. What is a disruption? It’s a disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process.
I can imagine right now that most of your typical events have been interrupted. Work places are shut down. Schools, gyms, and restaurants closed. Graduation ceremonies cancelled. I was supposed to go to The Bright Side Conference in North Carolina this past week but that got cancelled. One of my family member’s weddings got postponed 5 months.
And even more than what is going on right now, there are other times in our lives where I’m sure we can identify disruptions - a sickness causing you to miss an important meeting, your laptop crashing leading to a missed deadline, etc.
Disruptions are part of life. Some are big and life altering while others are small and are easier to digest. No matter the size of a disruption, we can choose to be held back by them or we can choose to adapt, pivot, and move forward despite them.
Here are 3 things you can do to handle disruptions:
Create adapted rhythms and routines.
Chances are, if you are up against a disruption, your schedule is going to be altered in some way. Instead of throwing your hands up and ditching structure all together, I encourage you to create new routines that fit what you’re currently experiencing. But be gentle with yourself as you’re doing this. Use your new routine as a tool not as prison, like I always say. Let’s chat about what rhythms, routines, and schedules are:
Rhythms are repeated patterns.
A routine is a sequence of actions regularly followed.
A schedule is a plan to carry out a process with events corresponding to specific times.
Schedules are more rigid and are easier to follow when you’re experiencing your normal - which right now - in the middle of a major disruption - you are not. I’ve been leaning more into rhythms and routines as I navigate the mental effects of Coronavirus.
To me, a routine is a broad outline whereas a schedule is a rigid plan. And rhythm is the flow of that outline or plan. I don’t know about you but I’m desperately wanting a gentle routine with a peaceful rhythm right about now.
A lot of us are quarantined at home right now and it can be tempting to stay in your PJs all day while binge watching the latest season of Love is Blind on Netflix BUT I can almost guarantee that you are going to feel like garbage sooner than later if you do this kind of thing day in and day out.
I’ve seen a lot of people sharing their new routines on Instagram and obviously my type-A heat is HERE FOR IT but not because I think we all need to abide by rigid, minute by minute schedules right now, but because having routines in place is good for our mental health and keeps us on track to reaching goals we’ve set for ourselves. Why is having a routine good for our mental health? I was reading this article and it said:
“It is crucial to set routines to enable yourself to get better at the things you do. Routine helps us cope with change, it helps to create healthy habits, and more importantly, it helps to reduce stress levels. When your life is organized and set in a routine, you know exactly what to expect. This takes out the guessing of what is coming, alleviating the symptoms of anxiety. When we have routine, it actively works to respond to symptoms of mental health conditions and thoughts that may be making your life difficult.”
Since I work from home, my daytime schedule hasn’t changed much. But since I can’t go anywhere after my work hours are over I’ve created a schedule so that I don’t “accidentally” work from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed. I’ve created a list of at-home activities that I want to do when my work day is over so that I don’t just wind up on the couch drinking wine every night, you know?
Some of them are:
Try a new recipe
Deep clean the kitchen
Write a letter
Organize personal files
Listen to a podcast
Read on the back porch
Declutter closets
If you go to the FREE GOODS section of my website, I’ve created a few templates that you can print out and use to help you create some rhythms and a routine for this season that we’re in. There is a place for you to write your FOCUS 3 each day and then an outline for a daily schedule where you can fill in the times.
2. Re-evaluate your expectations.
Okay so you’ve experienced a major disruption. Your first reaction is to jump ship:
Maybe you don’t feel like working on your dreams anymore
Maybe you don’t feel like fueling your body with nutritious food and getting in a good workout every day anymore
Whatever it is that you don’t feel like doing right now that you normally do, first, I want you to dig deeper and ask yourself WHY there is resistance to those things.
- Is it because they don’t seem important anymore? Which if that is the case, I urge you to explore:
1. Why you’re pursuing it in the first place and
2. Your approach to pursuing it - have you established unhealthy work habits that have burnt you out and isolated you from your loved ones so this major disruption has put that into perspective for you? The Hustle Sanely Intensive Program might be a good fit for you if you fall into this category, girl!
- Or is it because you feel like your mind is distracted by what is currently going on in your life?
If you’ve determined that something is still important to you but you’re just feeling a little shaken up or distracted by the disruption, that’s okay. Re-evaluate the expectations that you’ve set for yourself and pay attention to your pace as you go about things. Your pace amidst a major disruption is not going to be the same as it is when things are normal.
Maybe before the disruption, your normal was to hit the gym 6 days a week: weight lifting, spin, hot yoga...all of it. Well right now, a lot of gyms are closed so that cannot be your expectation for yourself. You have to re-evaluate your expectations. Maybe now your expectation is spending 10 minutes stretching in the morning, going on a 15 or 20 minute walk/jog, and then coming home and doing a 15-20 minute bodyweight workout.
There is no sense in you being upset with yourself. You’ll be better off mentally if you take the time to truly establish new expectations for yourself in a disruptive period, you know? Pay attention to your pace during a disruptive time and honor it. Establish new expectations based on the circumstances that are surrounding the disruption that you're experiencing. Setting new expectations keeps us from throwing in the towel altogether while still being gracious with ourselves as we navigate a disruption.
3. Embrace grace and check your mindset.
Let’s start with checking our mindset. When you’re in the midst of a major disruption, like Coronavirus:
It’s okay to feel scared.
It’s okay to feel confused.
It’s okay to feel anxious.
However you are feeling is 100% valid. And guess what else? How other people feel, even if it’s different from how you’re feeling, is also 100% valid. But here’s the thing - you have to take control of your thoughts before you start spiraling.
My advice is to focus on what you CAN control during this time instead of what you can’t control. When I find myself starting to feel a little panicky, I stop what I’m doing, take a deep breath, and say 3 things that I CAN control. For example:
I can control how I spend my time.
I can control what media I consume.
I can control how I respond to situations.
I can control how I help others.
I can control my habits and routines.
And as far as showing grace, this goes for yourself and for others. This kind of crisis calls for a significant extension of grace. Don’t feel bad that you don’t have the mental capacity to start a new business from your couch right now with your new found free time just because people on Instagram are telling you that it’s a good idea. Maybe you need to spend some time reading or gardening or organizing a closet. Your way of coping with the disruption that is Coronavirus does not have to look like anyone else’s.
And don’t jump down someone’s throat if they don’t want to abide by a strict schedule right now - maybe their wedding or graduation ceremony got canceled. Maybe their loved one lost their job and they are wading difficult waters that you don’t have to. We don’t know everything about everyone so it’s our job to love big and show grace with no bounds.
Be extra patient, gentle, and gracious with yourself and with others right now.
So those are 3 things to keep in mind when you’re dealing with a major disruption:
1. Create adapted rhythms and routines.
2. Reevaluate your expectations.
3. Embrace grace and check your mindset.
If this resonated with you and you want to hear more, make sure to tune into episode 024 of The Hustle Sanely Podcast:
