Calming Crisis During The Coronavirus Panic
Oh, Those Rampant Thoughts.
Are you anxious?
Is your mind running on overdrive?
Are you freaking out about your job?
Convinced you’ll get coronavirus?
Worried about finances?
Certain that our political leaders will lead us into our ultimate demise?
Convinced the economy will never recover?
Do You Also Notice A Correlation Between Your Thoughts And How Much Information You’re Consuming?
Let’s take a big step back. We’ve been forced to adapt to a new normal of being cooped up indoors while we long for outside connection. If you’re in Cleveland, this is even more torturous with March and April’s onslaught of rain and highs in the low 40’s. We’re not exactly front porchin’ it, people.
But to cope, we self-medicate with dopamine hits through technology consumption. I’ve probably picked up my phone at least 50 times today only see the same blank home screen staring back at me. The one that says FOCUS.
Studies show that the more information we consume, the more likely we are to suffer from lack of empathy, anxiety, depression and exhaustion. And to combat those feelings, we feed the cycle even more.
Have you noticed your consumption of news and “hits” of your phone is shifting your mental health into a bad gear? If what you’re consuming is creating a tailspin for your thoughts, it might be time to have the breakup talk.
Watching Outbreak.
Engorging on an excessive consumption of social media.
Engaging in Facebook arguments.
Posting fear-based content without fact-checking.
Refreshing CNN every 10 minutes to check the death toll.
Overbuying toilet paper. (Guilty, friends.)
And so on…
But does this mean we should ignore wise counsel? Or block all news sources?
No. I love 2:00 Wine with DeWine hour. (More like bone broth hour for me…) But when fact-finding for general safety devolves into an unhealthy consumption of information — and our brains simply aren’t wired for information overconsumption — our mental ships start to sink.
Address The Issue
What we consume mentally is akin to what we consume physically. Like too much sugar, when we consume too much information — including negative info — we mentally bloat as our brains just can’t handle the amount of input.
An addiction is a psychological or physical inability to stop consuming a chemical, drug, activity, substance or activity, even though it is causing psychological and/or physical harm.
Over-consumption of media isn’t too dissimilar to copious amounts of alcohol. You feel terrible and you do stupid things when you consume it. Self-harm hurts you. And the spread of panic hurts others. If your alcoholic uncle visited, would you pull out the shot ski? Or would you remove the temptation?
Calming The Chaos
Look, I realize during a time when everyone shares advice, this is just one more thing to consume. In many ways, I’m writing this post for myself.
My soul also needs some serious spring cleaning.
But there is hope.
To replace a bad habit, we gotta swap in a few good ones. Create a reward system. Limit your time on your apps and try to balance any news you consume that’s negative by something positive.
I was encouraged by John Krasinski’s video and his new Some Good News (SGN) network.
These are a few things I’m trying to embrace:
Be a kid again. Pull out an old puzzle. Color. Watch an old Disney movie. Do sidewalk chalk.
Find your inner creative. Writing, woodworking, or tackle that photo album you promised you’d make like 5 years ago (just me?).
Cut out the “extras”. If you’re concerned about finances, tackle that budget you keep saying you’ll do. You will get a dopamine hit when you conquer something new.
Call a loved one instead of scrolling through your feed. The human connection will make you realize how worthy and loved you are. I love Marco Polo!
Write a thank-you note to a friend in healthcare. Or, write a note to someone just because. Aren’t we all so tired of getting bills and junk mail?
Read your Bible. And study God’s character. You will know who’s the boss over all of this. I love Jen Wilkin’s book, None Like Him.
Do breathing exercises.
WALK or exercise. It’s hugely beneficial for your mental health. 75% of the battle is just showing up when you’re in Northeast Ohio.
Take up a yoga class online. I did a home yoga workout (can you call yoga a workout??) for the first time this morning and my mental outlook was incredibly positive.
Kiss your babies. Even your furry ones.
Meditate.
And if you’re going to be online, consume positivity. These are a few feeds I admire:
Calm Meditation (it’s also an app)
I’d love to hear any tips you have!
