BBC Radio Cornwall July 2020: Help with anxiety after lockdown
Talking with Emma Gill as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are relaxed in the UK, Malachy shares his thoughts on easing anxiety.
Listen here. Interview starts at 8.10👂Enjoy!
change and anxiety
Across the UK, shops, restaurants and pubs are opening up for the first time in months, but rather than celebrating with a spending spree or big night out, many people in Cornwall and across the country seem to have chosen to keep their distance.
The reason, as Malachy says, is likely to be anxiety. “We were all very scared when we were told to stay at home,” he says, “and now when we’re emerging into this new world with social distancing and perspex screens and masks, it all feels very unfamiliar for many people, and that stimulates anxiety.
Anxiety is an emotion that is stimulated by unfamiliarity
anxiety is normal
As we’ve written before, anxiety’s job is to keep us safe. It does that by judging situations by how familiar they are. If we’re coming out into a situation that is unfamiliar to us, it’s completely natural that we would feel anxious.
as more evolved creatures we can have a conversation with our anxiety to assess whether we really are in a dangerous situation, or just in an unfamiliar one
In the case of this virus, we don’t know where the danger is, which of course adds to the anxiety.
For younger people, this time may be one of relief. It seems that younger people are less affected by coronavirus and for them this is an opportunity to meet one another and let off some steam. That in turn is likely to add to anxiety amongst people who do feel vulnerable.
help with anxiety in unfamiliar times and situations
1. Ask yourself: is this situation as dangerous as my anxiety is telling me it is?
2. Recognise that many other people will be feeling anxious, and we can be compassionate towards them.
3. Anxiety is manifested in different ways for different people. We are all different, and some of us may be short-tempered, emotional or seem irrational. Accepting that this time is hard for us and for others and that we are coping in different ways can help us find patience and compassion.
4. What seems like ‘common sense’ to you is likely to be different for others. Our experiences and personal situations are different and so what seems obvious to you probably won’t be obvious to me. Recognising this helps us to avoid unintentionally shaming other people.
5. By being kind to ourselves and taking our own time, we will rediscover ourselves. Many of us may be surprised to find that we are reluctant to leave our cocoons and have lost touch with our ‘old selves’ who may have been more adventurous. Those people are not lost, and could be richer for this experience.
Contact a Lifetime counsellor
We’re able to work with you face-to-face in at Lifetime Therapy Truro in a covid-safe way, thanks to the airy rooms of our practice. We’re also working hard to support people through what is a really difficult time online and over the phone. To make an appointment, or to find out more, get in touch.