How to Navigate Life After Lockdown When You Have Anxiety
Words by Mindy Larsen // Image by Sarah Hartley
“Something doesn’t feel right in my throat,” I thought as I snuggled into the couch to watch a movie with my husband. Tonight’s showing was a Pixar movie, something light to lift our spirits from the heaviness of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our world.
I pretended to be engulfed in the movie, even heard myself laughing out loud, but no matter how hard I tried my mind was consumed with the lump growing in my throat. I tried to swallow, took deep breaths, and told myself I was fine – but the more I forced it, the tighter my throat became.
As soon as my mind touched the fear that hissed, “your throat is closing,” a panic attack overtook my body. My breaths shallowed, heart rate skyrocketed, and my husband read my mind. He paused the movie, looked at me and said, “Babe, you don’t have COVID.”
With an untimely cold at the beginning of the pandemic, I was no stranger to the panic-driven thinking that led me to believe I had the dreaded coronavirus. But on this particular night, I couldn’t speak truth loud enough to drown out the lies.
ANXIETY ROLLERCOASTER
As an anxiety sufferer, this season has been a rollercoaster. First came the throat tickle panic, then the fear of dying alone, then exhausting conversations about how to operate in this time, and then stay at home orders. Just when I thought I’d moved past one fear, a surprise drop sent me reeling and my stomach was back in my throat. Another twist, another turn, another unknown, and all I can do is hang on for dear life and wait for the wicked ride to end.
Will it ever end?
As I dip my toes into this next season of unknowns, one thing I’ve realized is that as an anxiety sufferer I must be intentional about making choices that help me find peace. Today I’m here to share five tips that have been helping me navigate this season, in hopes that they might encourage you.
5 TIPS TO HELP YOU FIND PEACE
1. Honor your own story.
During quarantine, there was a sense of collective togetherness that I loved. Whether you were single, married, young, or old, we were unified in supporting our healthcare system as we stayed home to flatten the curve.
Today, it feels more like each man for himself. Some friends are going to restaurants. Others are staying home. Some have thrown social distancing out the window. Others are wearing masks everywhere they go. Some are sending their kids to school, while others have opted for virtual learning. It’s overwhelming, and leaves me wondering, “What should I be doing?”
As anxiety sufferers, it is incredibly important to remember that we must honor our own story by prioritizing our mental health.
Just like someone in the high-risk category may be extra cautious about getting together in a group, we get to make decisions that support our mental health. Maybe that means maintaining a slower social calendar or something simple like opting for pick-up instead of going into the grocery store. Whatever it is, we must learn to not compare to our neighbors, but instead give ourselves permission to do whatever feels right for our mental health.
2. Take it slow.
My first excursion into the outside world was a trip to the garden shop. At that point, I had yet to return to the grocery store, so this first step into a space full of masked and unmasked strangers was intimidating.
Wandering up and down the aisles of blooming flowers, something so normal and usually quite exciting, felt weird. Whoa, someone without a mask is coming right towards me! Do I duck down another aisle? I thought.
As I gathered my plant babies onto my cart, anxiety rearing, I recognized several things. One – I am okay. I can absolutely do this. Two – This was a good baby step.
Even though things are opening up, we do not have to jump back in with both feet. In fact, as anxiety sufferers, it’s best to take it slow.
As we navigate re-entering social gatherings, restaurants, or stores, the best thing we can do for our mental health is take baby steps, gauge how we’re feeling, and adjust accordingly. Someday we’ll reach a point where we’re fully back to “normal” but for now it’s absolutely okay, maybe even necessary, to go slow.
3. Quiet what-ifs.
COVID-19 is a giant unknown. No one knows how it started, what will cure it. We’re not quite sure what’s true, or what the media has concocted. The reality is there is more unknown than known; and that is great breeding ground for what-ifs.
- What if I have to go to the hospital alone?
- What if my grandma gets it and dies?
- What if we never find a cure?
As innocent as a what-if might seem, it can easily birth a vicious cycle of fear-filled worst-case scenarios. In order to find peace in this season where the unknowns are a plenty, we have to be intentional about quieting what-ifs.
One helpful way to do this is to take note of the what-if that’s taking space in our brains, and vocalize it. Write it down. Tell a friend. Or share it with a counselor. And start speaking truth. By shifting our minds away from fear and towards what we know to be true as quick as possible, we can actively prevent anxiety from taking root.
4. Focus on the next right thing.
The phrase, “The Next Right Thing” comes from author Emily P. Freeman who wrote a book with this title all about how to minimize decision fatigue. Her solution is to simply focus on the next right thing.
We are in a season drenched in a constant flow of decisions to be made. Do I feel comfortable traveling on a plane again? How do I feel about my kids going back to school? How long should we social distance? Is it safe to get together with family for holidays this year?
Not only do we not know what the right decision is, we have no idea how it will affect what comes next. This is exhausting and stirs up a whole lot of anxiety.
Focusing on the next right thing is a simple, direct, and rewarding tactic that helps us reduce anxiety by minimizing how many decisions we make at once. This practice has been incredibly helpful for me throughout the pandemic. As much as I’d like to plan ahead, focusing on the next right thing enables me to stay grounded as I fix my eyes only on whatever is right in front of me.
5. Relinquish control.
Over and over again, I have had to remind myself that I do not have control over what is happening in the world. I can wash my hands, social distance, be intentional about caring for my health, but when it comes down to it I cannot manipulate the existence of this virus or how it may or may not impact my family. As anxiety is largely rooted in a desire for control, this is extremely challenging.
What I’ve learned through this is: the more we relinquish control into the Lord’s strong and capable hands, the more we experience peace.
We have an awesome God who holds all things together (Colossians 1:17), brings light into the darkness (John 1:5), and provides peace that is beyond our understanding (Philippians 4:7). We may not have control, but He does; He has the entire world in His hands, and we get to rely on Him.
If we want to experience the peace the Lord has for us, we have to actively give our thoughts, concerns, and fears to Him, and trust that He will take care of us no matter what happens.
PEACE AMIDST ANXIETY
I don’t know when the COVID-19 anxiety rollercoaster will be over, but I am confident we do not have to wait until it ends to find peace.
As we step into this next phase of life after lockdown, my prayer is that these tips might be an encouragement to you. Whether you’re reading this article because you’ve experienced anxiety for the first time, or because you need extra help to quiet the lies, we are in this together. Let’s cling to the Lord and be intentional about finding peace amidst anxiety.
About the Author:
Mindy Larsen is a writer living in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. She loves donuts, the power of Scripture to combat anxiety, and cuddling on the couch with her husband Chris, and their cat, Finn. Mindy’s writing will leave you encouraged and affirmed as she points your eyes to Christ and helps you find peace amidst anxiety. You can find her vulnerable, hope-filled words in publications like Grit & Virtue, (in)courage, The Kindred Voice, and on her personal blog.
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