How I Deal with COVID Anxiety

COVID-19 has inevitably turned our world upside down. The nature of the virus, the fact that everything we thought we knew about it has changed, and the adjustments we have to make for this “new normal” is scary at best. Although businesses are out of lockdown, there’s controversy as to what the general public should be doing to curb the spread. While Doug Ford has Ontario in stage 3 of reopening, many people are still opting to continue to isolate and stay home. This could be because of his recent announcement of limiting social gatherings to 10 (although this may not be true by the time this is published, given how fast the virus has spread lately). 

Although I chose to stay home from campus, partially in reason to avoid the desire to “party”, I personally have chosen to see multiple friends in the past few months. We know that a high percentage of current active cases of COVID-19 in Ontario are from people under the age of 40. However, I think that the mental health deterioration of quarantine has affected some people in that age group in ways the virus can’t. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely think the people who decided to go back to campus simply to party with a new group of people every night are being rather selfish and irresponsible, given the rise in cases recently. However, I think there are ways you can still satisfy your social meter, without risking the health of the public. Sticking to the same group of 10 or less people, ordering groceries online when you can, and ensuring to get tested at the first sign of illness are all important aspects of being able to see people while not being irresponsible. 

During the depths of quarantine, I was definitely feeling anxiety about when I would be able to see people again; an anxiety was hard to distract yourself from. I was living with my mom and little brother, and only saw them for over a month. For the most part, they each had their own stuff to do, so it was up to me to figure out how I’d entertain and distract myself. To curb anxiety, the thing that helped most was giving myself a tentative date that lockdown would be over, which I picked up from a YouTube video I watched. Aside from that, I took care of my mental health by reading a few books, watched a lot of Tik Toks, cut my own hair (it was horrible), enhanced my makeup abilities, and picked up some paints and canvases and learned how to embroider on them. I found home workouts hard to keep up with, but for a little bit I was running and doing workouts by my high school track, which I found super helpful for my mental health during the lockdown. It felt comforting to feel the outside air on my skin and breathe it in. 

Now, in the current state we are in, I’ve been a lot busier because of work and school. Because of that, I haven’t really been able to think about my COVID anxiety. But when I see the news, and hear bad things regarding the virus, I can’t help but worry about the second wave forcing us to shut down again. Working at a gym, and spending 6 days a week there, shutting down is the last thing I want to happen. However, I know that if we do shut down again, I will ultimately be fine. I’ve already survived one lockdown. Besides, the pandemic will not last forever. And that’s what I’ve found to be most comforting — reminding myself that although it feels interminable, all the current health measures put in place to protect us will not be in place forever. 

• anxiety
• COVID-19
• mental health
• Stress Management