Going through the motions of life during quarantine can be a challenge for some people, especially those who struggle with mental illness. For example, having anxiety in a full house where nobody is allowed to leave and you're stuck with the members of your house without the opportunity for fresh air can be pretty stressful. There's also times where the overwhelming feeling can seem like it is coming out of nowhere, and that is completely okay, too. Different people experience anxiety in a plethora of different perspectives. Here's a few different tips to help yourself feel more grounded and/or in control.
1. Sour Candy
Panic attacks are typically unprovoked and can be unpredictable, while anxiety attacks have a stressor that triggers the attack. Either way, feeling this type of stress can make one feel pretty out of control. It may seem silly, but some people like to pop a sour candy in their mouth to distract themselves from the situation they cannot control. Instead, their minds are focused on how sour the candy is. This can also be done with a lemon or basically anything that is just as sour. A distractor is a good way to focus on something you can physically taste and touch.
2. Meditation Podcasts
If you're one that prefers a more calming method rather than stimulation, this might work better. On apps like Spotify and Apple Music, an easy search could be the trick to settling back in a safer mindset. One quick search of the phrase "meditation podcast" and there's multiple podcasts with over ten episodes. Some have waterfalls in the background as the person is speaking, some even have wind chimes. You can also explore different podcast episodes, as some are spoken by men and others are spoken by women. Some episodes are geared specifically towards a certain outcome: a good night's sleep, calming a panic attack, even to just get started on your day. My personal favorite aspect about these meditations is specifically on Spotify; Spotify has a feature called a sleep timer. The timer can be set anywhere from five minutes to an hour, in increments of five. Once that time is up, the podcast stops. So, if you were to fall asleep during your nightly meditations like myself, the podcast shuts off so you won't be awoken to the sound of wind chimes at three in the morning.
3. Cold showers
This method has almost the same effect as the sour candy. There have been multiple studies showing the practice of cold shower therapy. The therapy is simple and only involves a nice, freezing cold shower. Your body will be shocked by the water temperature, and this in turn triggers helpful responses within the body. Also, this type of shower has been known to be very good on your skin and helps tightness in the skin.
It is important to remember that everything you might be feeling during these times is valid. Just because your experience might be different from other people doesn't mean you are any less than them. One thing that doesn't work for you could work for someone else. Every body is a different body. During these times especially, we have to remember to stick together and help each other. So, check on your friends! It could mean a lot more to them than you are aware of.
