Anxiety and the Second Wave: What is it doing to us

Anxious days, anxious times…

In these days, the combination of loss of control, feelings of desperation and lack of direction is affecting all of us. We all intuitively realise what we are feeling, but this in itself doesn’t seem to help.

The effects of the pandemic have certainly leaked into every aspect of our lives, we have been increasingly worrying about the financial side of things, work stability, relationships, our health and the ongoing uncertainty around the matter. A sense of loss of autonomy and insecurity can definitely increase our feelings of anxiety.

During this time, I have been up and down many times; some days I wake up feeling glad and grateful for all the things around me, and others, I wake up with a knot in my stomach and a sense of doom that is difficult to put aside. Most of the times I know what triggered this feeling and there are some other times where I can’t pinpoint the real reason I feel the way I do.

This second wave and the realisation that this is ongoing, seeping, creeping in our society, has led to a widespread degree of despair and disillusionment. I wanted to share my own feelings as a Psychologist, of what this is doing to all of us. These times have certainty had a negative effect on me, I have felt shaken, unsure and at times really confused by my own response.

Wait a minute– aren’t I supposed to know how to cope with all this uncertainty??

At Uni, and during the development of our career, we are taught and encouraged to always maintain this façade of strength, calm and certainty when in fact, we are also humans with our own inner struggles.

On this basis, I wanted to share some of my thoughts.

Anxiety is something we all know about, many of us are feeling quite anxious at the moment and most of us, are either afraid or ashamed to talk about it with others close to us. However, we can’t deny the fact that anxiety has been present more than ever and affecting us maybe more than we might be willing to recognize.

Often, anxiety feels like a heavy overwhelming blanket that descends down upon us, sometimes it feels like a chaotic wave rising up from within, but in all situations, it surrounds us quickly. This usually occurs extremely fast - almost out of the blue. In longer term situations, a background level of ongoing anxiety sits like a mist, a fog, that clouds our thought processes.

When this happens, we are left wondering: how does this fog gets cleared?

Frequently we search for a reason for this anxiety- who or what has caused this? And that is when I like to remind myself of this concept- “anxiety looks for a home to attach itself to”. It is natural to seek for the cause of the situation we find ourselves in, that’s completely normal and certainly for a little while, can give us a sense of relief. At times, we could be so wrapped around the idea of understanding why we feel anxious, that we forget how to deal with the effect anxiety has on us.

These unpleasant feelings create a chain of secondary and tertiary reactions, ranging from disorientation, to heightened concern, increased vigilance and even outright panic. Our physiology is trying to prepare us for an anticipated threat.

Anxiety is no different. The evolutionary switch is set for We need to be ready now!!!…but this is where our self-awareness can step in. We are so used to prepare ourselves for future threats, that our body goes into overdrive, adrenaline surges through our system, to put us on guard. How do we slow down? Particularly when the threat feels so real, so imminent, so pressing down...

We can learn how to slow down the speed in which things are changing, we just need to acknowledge the sense of urgency that comes with the anxiety. We can feel like we have to respond and do something right this very second. Apart from imminent threats to our body or person, there is often no need for this immediate response, it is okay to slow down and remind ourselves to wait a minute and take a deep breath.

We need to stop, acknowledge the wave of anxiety and panic and say- “I see what is happening, my body is trying to prepare me,” and interrupt the urgency button with a “pause button.” Assess the situation, process your response and allow that chaotic wave to rise and literally wash over you. Rest assured, this wave will come and go in just a few minutes.

This takes me to talk about triggers. Triggers can be activated at any point in time and more often than not, we have no control over how it happens. When triggers are activated, we can feel the urgent need to run, eat, drink alcohol, self-medicate, isolate or engage in any other activity that allows us to appear to gain control over our feelings. Triggers need to be addressed and managed properly in order to ensure they won’t have ongoing negative consequences to our wellbeing. To aid with the process of identifying what triggers us, you could write in a piece of paper what happened, what and how did you feel (physically and emotionally) and your thoughts about the matter.

After doing this you can take some time to reflect on things and how they affect you or if preferred, you could take your insights and share them with someone you know and trust. There is value to be found even in someone just listening.

There are also a few things you could do to help manage any feelings of anxiety or triggers you might be experiencing:

• Reach out to others.
• Structured exercise 90-150 min per week, recommended total in 3-5 sessions.
• Community: we are all feeling the same way, collective anxiety. Validating our own and other experiences. All about the way we can help each other.
• Look for professional help.
• Identify and learn how to manage triggers.
• Engage in reflective self-talk.
• Meditate.
• Keep and healthy lifestyle, eat all foods in moderation and move around for at least 30 minutes a day.
• Practice deep breathing and relaxation.

Remember, anxiety is not something we need to be ashamed of, it is a common experience we all share throughout humanity and it is ok to feel this way. Acknowledging the fact that we might feel this way sometimes only makes us stronger, more self-aware individuals and this will help us connect and build a deeper, meaningful relationship with our inner self.

Please do not hesitate to look for professional help if you need to.

If you need urgent help, please contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. At Creative Thinking Institute we are constantly working to develop tools to help you improve and reach your full potential.

With this in mind, please stay tuned for a series of mini mediations that you could practice, not just to help with anxiety but whenever you feel like and as many times as you need.