Anxiety is not good or bad...
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to an emergency.
If a wild lion walked up to you, you would want your body to have a fight-or-flight response. You would need the adrenaline, the sharpening of your senses, and the heightened rush to help you fight or run away. And if that did not work - it would be a problem!
COVID is a worldwide emergency. If your body systems are working.. it is not surprising that your body may be having an anxious response. It means your body is doing its job.
Unfortunately, it may feel like an inopportune time for such a response. You aren’t running from a lion.. you may be stuck at home. So things are a little out of balance. Your body is confused.
1 - You are not flawed, your body is doing what it is designed to do in an emergency. Can you treat your anxious body needs with compassion and understanding rather than self-blame? The world is out of sorts, and your body may need a little extra care right now.
2 - You may need an outlet for the energy. If your body is primed to fight a lion, it has adrenaline and energy that is designed to be used. If your are fighting those racing thoughts, the wired feeling, the inability to sleep or rest... that incredible pulsing energy right now that can not calmed, why contain it? Your body has this energy for a purpose; it may need a constructive outlet. Engaging your body in a physical like intense exercise may help alleviate some of the adrenaline. How could you do use this amazing energy that your body is producing? Could you channel the extra adrenaline to take risks, to innovate, to learn to a new skill, or to reach out to others who are hurting?
Anxiety is not good or bad. It is not something to eliminate. The goal is to develop the control and confidence to handle this natural and important response of our body even when it arises at an inopportune time. Practice coping skills. Reach out. Take care of yourself and be compassionate to your body and your mind.. in a very real way, you are being chased by a lion.
