Interventions for Coping with Anxiety and Fear

Hi friend, 
 
How have you been? Feeling anxious? Me, too.
 

We’re in a time of unprecedented anxiety.

According to a study conducted by Ginger (a company that builds technology-based mental health resources) 69% of employees surveyed describe the COVID-19 crises as the most stressful time of their career. 88% have experienced moderate to extreme stress in the last 4-6 weeks, and that number goes up to 91% of those working from home. 
 
I can certainly relate. You?

For me, there’s the fog of fear over the global pandemic, which causes health and economic concerns. In addition, my home and work life have blended into a messy soup without any clear delineation. If I am working, I feel anxious about not being present with my family who are all home right now, and if I am present with my family, I feel anxious about the future of my work.  

Because of my anxiety, I've done things I am not proud of at times, like yelling at my husband for banging pans in the kitchen when I was trying to record a video, or getting short with my nine-year-old when he won't (finally) go to bed when I need alone time, or putting in noise-cancelling headphones so that I can pretend I don't hear other people talking to me and then hiding in the kitchen with the lights off. 

I know I am not the only one struggling to maintain a semblance of balance (or even just politeness) while also managing the overwhelming stress of our unprecedented situation. 

For me, this shows up as a level of restlessness where I feel agitated, uncomfortable, edgy. 

How does anxiety show up for you? And how can we manage all the anxiety in our lives while staying at home? 

Here are two types of interventions for managing anxiety that you can try:
 

1. Top down: Interventions where we modify our thinking to manage stress, anxiety, and fear 

1. Bottom up: Interventions where we modify our bodily response to manage stress, anxiety, and fear 

 
I’ll provide interventions for both types in the "Resources" section below so that you try them out and see what works for you. 
 
Also, because so many of us are struggling with these and other hard emotions right now, I created this 15-minute meditation for dealing with anxiety and fear. There is also one for sadness and grief, and one for anger and frustration (the next email toolkit). Each centers on a two-step process for managing difficult emotions: 1.) Acknowledging and accepting our feelings, and 2.) Comforting ourselves and connecting our experience with the larger, human exprience.   

Ok, friend. I hope you find something here that's helpful for you. 

(Virtual) hugs, 

Brandi 

Mindfulness-based Strategies for Regulating Anxiety and Fear:  

Top Down Strategies and Instructions:
 

1. Modify your Media Consumption: Ask yourself: What cognitive input is your mind receiving each day? This includes news, television, social media, etc. Is it predominantly negative and fear-inducing? What might be the impact of this? Consider the balance of information you consume and create a plan for how you might modify it if you feel it’s not benefiting you. You may include in your plan limits on negative media, but also how to “fill your cup” with positive media as well. (Maybe check out the newsletters from Soul Pancake or Intelligent Change for some good cup-fillers.)    

1. Next Right Thing: Ask yourself: Is there anything that you can do about your worry/concern at this moment? Right now, are you safe? If the answer to the first question is no, and the answer to the second question is yes, then consider this: In the words of Anna from Frozen II, see if you can focus only on the next right thing, as opposed to looking too far into the future. This is especially helpful in times that are ambiguous and out of our personal control—like now. 

 
Bottom Down Strategies and Instructions:  
 

1. 4-7-8 Breath: Breath into the count of four, hold your breath to the count of 7, breath out to the count of 8. Continue for two minutes to reset your nervous system back to baseline. 

1. Mindful Movement: Make fists with both your hands, then stretch your fingers out widely. Do this movement in and out to the rhythm of your breath. This rhythm, movement, and focused attention on a calm stimuli all decrease anxiety.   

1. Mini-Forest Bathing: Take a walk outside. Focus on one sensory input as you walk—maybe vision (noticing color, light and darkness) or sound (birds, wind, etc.) This is really a blended strategy; being outdoors in natural settings has been shown to regulate our bodies and our minds. I wrote more about forest bathing here.

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