Coping with Anxiety and Uncertainty During A Pandemic - Guest Post
Hey friend, I’m happy to bring you a guest post from a Registered Clinical Counsellor (and a personal friend), Megan Gelmon.
She’s an incredible therapist who is based out of Vancouver, BC. She took the time to write up a thoughtful and helpful article to share here about managing our stress and anxiety in uncertain times.
She also included some helpful resources and her information below — I highly recommend checking them out if this speaks to you.
Without further ado, let’s get to it!
We are all sitting with uncertainty and question marks due to Covid-19. While some are managing, others are struggling to cope with the unknown. Here are some suggestions to support you through the uncertainty.
Access Your Support Network
Engage with your support network, like your friends or family members. If you prefer to speak to someone less familiar, there are resources that are free for mental health assistance during this time (named below). Regardless of where you look, find a source of connection. Isolating yourself physically is great, for now. However, isolating yourself mentally and emotionally is likely going to increase anxiety and exasperate other issues.
Practice Presence
Well, if there was ever a time to meditate, or simply sit quietly with yourself, now is the perfect time (depending on your situation). With less of the usual daily routine outside of the home, use the extra hours, or minutes, to notice where your thoughts are going. Do you tend to distract yourself with lists, or future plans? Perhaps you notice that your mind tends to land in daydreams or familiar recordings that play in your mind. Regardless of where your mind goes, notice it. Become curious. Use your version of self-care like arts and crafts, music, baths, physical activity etc. to ground yourself in the here and now. Allow for whatever is happening to just be, without judging your experience one way or another.
Practicing presence can be difficult from some. If you are overwhelmed and feel like you need assistance, don’t hesitate to ask for help! As mentioned, use your support network or reach out to a mental health professional for assistance.
Rework your Goals (for now)
Because we are sitting with so many question marks at the moment, editing your plans or goals is helpful in offering you agency, once again! Take your long-term ideas and consider what you’d like to rework. Use this time to get creative. Perhaps you will find an alternative approach, or be able to break the long-term goal into smaller, short-term objectives. This situation is awful however, if you reframe fear with curiosity, you may be more inclined to explore alternative options!
Note Lessons
Human resilience is fascinating, inspiring, jaw dropping awesome, I could continue but we don’t have all day. Yes, there is a pandemic that is frightening and worrisome and uncertain (for now) AND humans are resilient and creative. This is a moment for all of us to consider our usual routines pre-covid-19 and reflect on what lessons we have learned about our communities, ourselves, our employment structures since we have paused. Every experience, however horrifying or wonderful, has interwoven lessons. If you choose, you can take these lessons forward with you when the time is right and sprinkle them into your usual routine, whenever you can get back to it, safely.
Access Help
If you are overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to access services that are readily available to help you sort out your thoughts and offer you tools to manage. Feel free to get in touch with your local counsellor.
If you are in BC, there are 200 of us working to help the community for free. This is for individuals who would like mental health support during the pandemic who have been terribly impacted (financially and emotionally). Feel free to e-mail bccovidtherapists@gmail.com.
In the meantime, stay safe and stay healthy (in all senses of the world). Focus on managing, one day a time!
Megan
About Megan:
Hey! I’m Megan and I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor.
I fell in love with learning about the brain from a young age, as I was diagnosed with epilepsy. The onset of epilepsy changed my demeanor, my life, and my identity. Let’s just say that life got messy! I started to study more about the mind and brain in 2015 and went on to pursue my Masters in Counselling Psychology shortly thereafter. In 2017, I chose to learn more about somatic (body) work, and I began to explore yoga more rigorously.
I genuinely believe that working with counselling modalities that integrate the exploration of the body and the mind are life-changing. I work with populations who have brain injuries, complex trauma, relationship difficulties, people in periods of transition, and of course, individuals who experience anxiety. My practice is expanding and it’s all thanks to our gorgeous community!
Stay in touch here: Sana Counselling and read more on my blog here.