Dealing with fear in quarantine can be tricky. This period of social detachment, even when spent with the family, is tedious and uncertain. The time is even more difficult for the elderly who find themselves alone.
Fear is a terrifying feeling that can confuse the mind . It is born out of a small apprehension and gradually grows and turns thoughts into radars of bad news. When the frightened brain cannot find them, it fantasizes about a disastrous reality.
This is how people end up afraid of leaving home, getting sick, coming into contact with other people, going through financial difficulties, losing their jobs or being forced to work in the middle of a coronavirus outbreak, and even to die.
Therefore, it is vital to learn to manage fear so that it does not flourish within you in this uncertain quarantine period . After all, the pandemic is fleeting as is everything in life .
The effects of fear
By devoting time and energy to form catastrophic scenarios in his mind, the frightened individual encourages the early appearance of anxiety and fear. Consequently, your body lives under constant alertness, which is fueled by the release of cortisol – the stress hormone .
When you don’t learn to deal with fear, it spreads. In other words, speculations like ‘what if …?’ become routine and impair quality of life.
Likewise, they contribute to the emergence of negative thoughts and emotions that, eventually, can turn into a mental disorder, such as depression .
In addition, “chronic” fear has worrying consequences for the physical body, such as the weakening of the immune system, the appearance of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases and the reduction of fertility. Migraines, muscle aches and breathing problems are also common.
How to deal with fear in quarantine?
It is essential to check your mental health and take a few minutes a day to take care of yourself . Dealing with the fear of the unknown becomes simpler when we adopt strategies to manage it.
The mind under the effects of fear and stress eventually succumbs, so prevention and fighting fear are important.
Below, check out strategies that can be easily implemented in your routine. The secret to success is to repeat them so that they become habits!
- Exercise the change in perspective
Yes, the situation is difficult. The world has become an unknown place overnight and tends to keep changing.
But is it really worth brooding about all day?
What does this add to your life?
Many of the things you hear during the quarantine, unfortunately, are out of reach. The most we can do is take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others or donate to those who need help.
Just brooding over the negative is not healthy. So, change your perspective! Look back at your own life and look for the good things in it.
In addition, focus on positive stories: people who donated to help others, who left the comfort zone and reinvented themselves so as not to lose their income, who organized themselves to take care of their own community. There are so many beautiful stories out there, even in the midst of uncertainty.
- Look for distraction tools to deal with fear
Are you discouraged? Sad? Riled up? Creeped out?
On none of the above occasions is it recommended to encourage fear. It can become a constant in your life by being strengthened. What one must do is to seek happiness in the little things.
It is not about being a coward or running away from reality, but about taking care of your health . In fact, this is an excellent way to deal with fear , as it combines the change of perspective and the elevation of mood in one strategy! Look at that!
Watch movies or series, listen to your favorite music, cook something tasty, interact with your loved ones and play with your pet. In this way, you stimulate your brain in a positive way.
- Decrease information consumption
Try to update yourself about the country and your city only once a week . Choose a day when you can engage in pleasurable activities so that you can relieve negative emotions right away.
Although it is necessary to know what is happening to prevent or prepare for new preventive measures, overdose of negative news is the favorite food of fear.
Therefore, minimize the time dedicated to consuming information about the pandemic . If you received something on WhatsApp or social media that doesn’t seem to be true, do a search on the subject from trusted sources to answer your questions.
- Express your feelings
There are many ways to express feelings in addition to verbalizing them. Hobbies are excellent for releasing everything that is accumulated inside you, and also guaranteeing the release of positive hormones in the brain!
A hobby can be anything that makes you feel good, like cooking, drawing, reading, singing, dancing or playing video games. If you still don’t practice any activity like that, why not take the opportunity to discover your ideal hobby ?
When you are immersed in the activity, focus your feelings and emotions on it so that you can express it.
- Talk to a psychologist to deal with fear
If you believe that therapy can help you deal with fear more efficiently, seeking professional help is the right decision. After all, a little help to take care of mental health is always welcome!
Did you know that psychologists are seeing remotely in quarantine through online consultations? This type of assistance is equally effective in preventing and treating anxiety, stress and fear with flexibility
