A couple
of years ago I realized that I have anxiety; I noticed it when one of my
closest friends passed away suddenly. I was terrified that someone else close
to me will die, it took me a while to grasp the reality and I always thought
what I felt was real, I assumed the worst case scenario, panic if I hear that
someone is sick, doesn’t necessarily have to be someone close to me. If I see
an online news of someone dying, I used to read through to see why that person
died, and then I assumed that it would happen to someone around me too. This
was a mental battle between me, myself and I, which took a toll on myself, my
health and my relationship with my then boyfriend (current husband). Although I
tried to leave this aside as a one off incident, I realized that it kept
triggering when there are situations beyond my control. Covid catastrophe was a
big trigger for me. I also realized that I was not alone in this, yes there are
so many going through what I go through in different ways, in different
situations (I have a friend who is having anxiety because his wedding got postponed) and that it is common. I felt a sense of relief, not because of
people who are suffering, but because there are remedies for people who are
struggling to overcome things like this.
I’m a
worrier by nature, there are so many like me, who constantly worry about
something. It is normal to worry when your child falls sick, it is normal if
your parents are sick, but if you always assume the worst case scenario and
panic about it, then it is not as normal as you think it is. If something
bothers you too much that it affects your sleep, your routine, your day today
activities then you might be a worrior and having stress or maybe anxiety. You
can push it to the back of your head thinking, oh it is not important to sort
it but it actually is.
Why is it important to identify your stress
and anxiety?
It might
affect you long term, affect your relationship with your family members, your
job, most importantly your health. Long term stress and anxiety can develop
into high blood pressure, diabetes and literally age you. The wrinkles, fine
lines, grey hair.. all of that.
How to identify?
It doesn’t
necessarily have to be suicidal thoughts or feel depressed it could also be
having irrational
fears, a significant change in sleeping habits, having vivid dreams, a significant change in eating
habits or a
prolonged low mood.
Stress
and anxiety are not always a bad thing. They are natural, short-term reactions
that people need to stay safe, it happens because you care, because you care
too much maybe. So admitting it is nothing to be ashamed of.
How to handle it?
It
is normal to have it during this period; you are facing many lifestyle
differences, pay cuts, cooking all day, working from home and the list goes on.
There are many ways to cope up with it, try breathing exercises daily, do a bit
of exercise even if it means just dancing to your favourite music, meditating
or do something that calms you down. There are apps on your phone which helps
you calm down, there are exercises which you can also check on YouTube.
Importantly,
identify what triggers it, when you understand it, it will be easy to overcome
it. It is necessary to know that you cannot control everything, and there are
certain things, which is beyond our control, like the current situation. What
you can do is, do the best you can and look after yourself. There are always
people who you can speak to, someone who will help you get out of it too. I
have two amazing friends who do therapy online, super easy to talk your heart out to : Beautiful Minds Counselling & Rasini Bandara.
Working in a Covid filled world is not normal. You should not be upset or be upset if your work collegues are not fully functioning at highest productivity levels.It is important to understand that you need time to process the grief that comes with the loss of your former work life and social life.
Working in a Covid filled world is not normal. You should not be upset or be upset if your work collegues are not fully functioning at highest productivity levels.It is important to understand that you need time to process the grief that comes with the loss of your former work life and social life.
Do
drop me a message if you need any support or a helping hand if you are having
stress or anxiety, always remember that you are not alone in this.
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