{"id":3411,"date":"2020-05-21T09:15:14","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T15:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/blog\/?p=3411"},"modified":"2023-04-27T13:50:49","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T19:50:49","slug":"pandemic-anxiety-mental-health-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/blog\/pandemic-anxiety-mental-health-awareness-month","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic Anxiety: Mental Health Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>May is mental health&nbsp;awareness&nbsp;month. Many of us are experiencing more anxiety than usual with the pandemic and all of the uncertainties we are facing.&nbsp;Pandemic anxiety can feel overwhelming at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are suffering from depression, if you can\u2019t keep up your usual activities, if you have been sad for weeks and can\u2019t seem to recover as usual, please contact a mental health professional right away.&nbsp;If you are feeling anxious, unable to function in your usual ways call your local mental health clinic.&nbsp;Even insurance companies are recognizing virtual appointments&nbsp;during the pandemic, and, most of the time,&nbsp;covering the cost. Of&nbsp;course, check with your insurer, but don\u2019t put off getting the help you need.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conversations that go on in our own heads during the pandemic can be a contributing factor to our levels of pandemic anxiety. <span class=\"has-inline-color has-blue-color\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/pdf\/Worry-Self-Talk.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a><\/span>&nbsp;to download the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/pdf\/Worry-Self-Talk.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-blue-color\">Worry Self-Talk<\/span><\/a> exercise from the <em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-blue-color\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/store\/managing-intense-anxiety.html\" target=\"_blank\">Managing Intense Anxiety Workbook<\/a><\/span><\/em>, by Ester&nbsp;Leutenberg&nbsp;and John Liptak, EdD. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/store\/managing-intense-anxiety.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/store\/media\/products\/ManagingIntenseAnxiety.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"218\" height=\"275\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>In <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/two-takes-depression\/202003\/covid-19-and-pandemic-anxiety\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-blue-color\">an article published in the March, 16,&nbsp;2020&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Psychology&nbsp;Today<\/em><\/span><\/a><em>,&nbsp;<\/em>Dr.&nbsp;Deborah&nbsp;Serani gave five suggestions for dealing with pandemic anxiety and panic.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1.\u202fGround yourself in science.\u202fResist viewing or reading sensational news or social media, where facts are often blurred or exaggerated. Instead, reach out to your local health or state department of health for up-to-date\u202finformation on COVID-19. Science-based facts will help ground you in a reality where truth, hope,\u202fand interventions exist.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2.\u202fIsolate but stay connected to others.\u202fProtect yourself with social distance and homebound activities. But make sure to keep your attachments to friends, family,&nbsp;and loved ones by calling, texting, using FaceTime or Skype.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.\u202fThink locally, not globally.\u202fFocus on what is happening in your local community and what you can do to keep yourself and neighbors healthy and safe. A sense of community is vital for moving&nbsp;through traumatic situations and builds\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/resilience\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resilience<\/a>\u202fin children and adults.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Practice self-care and make sure others do too.\u202fBe mindful of eating well, keeping a healthy\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/circadian-rhythm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sleep cycle<\/a>, exercising, and other soothing\u202fself-care behaviors. Make sure to avoid using\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/alcohol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alcohol<\/a>\u202for drugs to cope with\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/stress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stress<\/a>. And limit\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/conditions\/caffeine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">caffeine<\/a>, as it heightens anxiety and irritability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5.\u202fFight helplessness by finding purpose.\u202fThe uncertainty that COVID-19 brings can leave many of us feeling unspeakably helpless. Finding purpose can alleviate restlessness and anxiety. Choose things you can control, be it shifting&nbsp;negative thoughts into positive ones,\u202fdeciding what to cook for lunch,\u202freading a good book, picking\u202fwhat movie you and the kids will watch,\u202for other activities you have power over.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May is mental health&nbsp;awareness&nbsp;month. Many of us are experiencing more anxiety than usual with the pandemic and all of the uncertainties we are facing.&nbsp;Pandemic anxiety can feel overwhelming at times. If you are suffering from depression, if you can\u2019t keep up your usual activities, if you have been sad for weeks and can\u2019t seem to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Pandemic Anxiety: Mental Health Awareness Month #anxiety #mentalhealthawarenessmonth","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pandemic Anxiety: Mental Health Awareness Month - The Wellness Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"May is mental health awareness month. 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