Coronavirus Stress Tips, Risks and Prevention Tips – COVID-19 | Counselor Therapist Advice

Impact of COVID-19

“Social distancing” is highly recommended and in some cases enforced. Some cities are on curfews, others have enforced schools, restaurants, bars, and clubs to close all in efforts to stop the spread of this virus, and to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed with an influx of patients. Major companies such as Disney, NFL, NBA, Universal Studios, and many more, have closed. Even retailers like Nike, Macys, and Hollister have closed their stores. Some of our jobs have been closed, children’s day cares, etc. With this news, in just one day the stocks tumbled about 13 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial average had its largest one day fall ever. Higher than the infamous “Black Monday” crash.

This can cause an awfully stressful time, but stress is a very normal reaction, with several solutions. Erase your negative thoughts, adapt into a positive mindset, listen to your feelings, and relax your mind.

Symptoms of Stress:

• Changes in eating habits and sleep patterns
• Insomnia
• Anger & Hostility
• Increased use of tobacco, alcohol, and/or other drugs
• Anxiety towards the future
• Fear and anxiety of yours and your loved ones health conditions
• Difficulty focusing
• Muscle Tension
• Headaches
• Worsening of pre-existing health problems
• Etc…

But luckily there are several solutions to this stress reaction.

Coping: 

• Deep breathing exercises, meditation, stretching – Deep breathing when you feel yourself getting overwhelmed or better yet, before you feel you begin to feel overwhelmed is one of the fastest ways to reduce stress. Deep breathing increases the amount of oxygen to your brain and activates what’s known as the “relaxation response”. This decreases your blood pressure, slows your heartbeat, and slows your breathing. 
• Avoid drugs or too much alcohol – Alcohol is a depressant, meaning that it slows the brain. Appealing as a short term solution, but in long term makes stress more difficult to deal with. As alcohol contributes to feelings of anxiety and depression. 
• Eat as healthy as possible – When the body is stressed it craves high fat and sugary foods. These foods only produce a short burst of energy and quickly end in fatigue. Your brain requires as much power as possible, and it receives that power through our diet. Vitamins A, B, and C, magnesium and proteins are highly recommended. 
• Exercise – Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, and produces endorphins, causing a feeling of relaxation. Exercise also provides a way to pass time and work up a sweat to put you to bed later on. Any type of exercise will help.
• Limit screen time or watching news stories – Even without stressful times, screen time is in direct correlation with depressive symptoms so maybe watch one 30 minute news cycle and turn off the new. But even more than now, too much social media or news, repeatedly hearing and seeing about the pandemic can cause unnecessary stress. 

We all know that there are instances where going outdoors is necessary. So it’s recommended to stay 6-10 feet away from others, to thoroughly wash your hands, and avoid contact with your face and mouth. 

What to do at home:

• Connect with others – With the use of technology you can still emotionally connect with others, messages and video chats make it very easy to connect with someone during social distancing. 
• Reading – Finding time to isolate and get lost in a book can become a pastime. A fun idea would be to get an online version of a book so you could make a book club group with the family.
• Backyard Games – A game of soccer, throw and catch, tag, hide and seek, or anything to keep you and your children active and can double as a bonding experience. 
• Aromatherapy – The use of essential oils and or candles can induce a peaceful and relaxing response from the body. Adding oils to an air purifier, your bath, and or lotions are highly recommended for easy aromatherapy practices.

Live updates on Coronavirus Cases

Sources: 

NY Times

CDC Symptoms and Testing

Live Science – First Case of Coronavirus19

CNN – Business Retail Closings

Politico

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For more help please reach out to a therapist that does tele-therapy so you do not have to leave your home and stay safe from the coronavirus!  Total Life Counseling has counselors that can help with stress tips, meditation, mindfulness and more to help you through this tough time!  Give us a call 407-248-0030 for a complimentary 15 minute call.  Hang in there and stay safe!

Edited by TLC Intern Christopher Williams

Jim West

Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.

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