HT SPOTLIGHT: Time to be strong in the face of the pandemic

The novel pandemic has led to heightened feelings of anxiety, experts tell us how to deal with it.

Upended global travel, indefinite isolation, panic over scarce resources and information overload due to the
Covid-19 pandemic has led to heightened feelings of anxiety. The routines we had, the lifestyle we lived an the expectations we had created- all have been replaced with uncertainty. Often, the psychological symptoms tend to first spring to mind when people think of anxiety and stress, but there are also some very real physical signs linked to anxiety that are worth examining. Abhijita Kulshrestha, spiritual healer, says, “The paranoia has set in! Most of us have found ourselves checking our temperature multiple times a day and freaking out about the slightest of sensations in the chest. With so much time to sit and think during lockdown, it’s hard not to let your worries take over your physical body and senses.”

Anxiety and stress can have serious consequences on our physical health. Migraine headache, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or somatic symptom disorder, symptomised by pain, nausea, weakness, or dizziness are some symptoms of heightened anxiety and stress.

One way to cope with feelings of anxiety is to educate yourself about what’s going on in your body. Ektaa Sibal, spiritual coach, says, “It’s important to note that anxiety isn’t ‘bad’ – it stems from our innate stress response which is necessary for survival.” She recommends meditation to reduce physical manifestation of anxiety. She adds, “When meditation is done with gratitude journaling, it becomes an extremely powerful method to keep our mind and body positively aligned towards creating strength and resilience to manage stress.”

Radhika Bapat, Clinical Psychotherapist, encourages all to keep it simple. She says, “ Apart from exercising and eating healthy, set your sights on long-avoided tasks, reorganise, and create something you’ve always wanted to. Approaching this time with a mindset of feeling trapped or stuck will only stress you out more. This is your chance to slow down and focus on yourself.” Illusions of control need to be completely done away with and all of us need to find peace in the fact that we are doing our part to ‘flatten the curve’. These strategies will certainly help build mental strength to combat the stressful situation, the whole globe is experiencing.