Tips to Reduce COVID-19 Anxiety

We reached out to our doctors and health/medical Media Ambassadors and asked for their Best Tips to Reduce COVID-19  Anxiety.
 
Below are the lists they provided. Let us know if you want to quote or interview one of our medical experts.
Contact:
Jo Allison
PR Managing Editor
MEDIA AMBASSADORS
Success In Media, Inc.
Jo@SuccessInMedia.com
1. Do something to help an elderly friend or a neighbor who may be very frazzled. A few examples are to go grocery shopping for them or to cook them a hot meal to drop off. 
 

2. Get out in nature for the day with your family.  Pack a cooler with healthy food and beverages for a picnic.  You could go to a forest, a mountain or a beach. Disconnect for the day from the constant barrage of updates, have fun and release your stress!
 
3. Spend 30 minutes in a quiet room without disruption. Close your eyes and scan your memories for the happiest events of your life.  Then remember everything that you can about each event and how good you felt at the time!
 
4.  Take an inventory of all the good things that are in your life and be thankful for them! Realize that those things will still be there after this temporary inconvenience is over.
 
5.  Research the supplements, foods and lifestyle changes that you can bolster your immunity. This will help to protect you during this crises and if you maintain those changes, you may enjoy those benefits for the rest of your life!

Available for Interviews:
Dr. Mike Evangel
Chiropractic Physician
Dr. Michail Evangel’s Chiropractic Wellness Center

Contact info at the bottom of this post.
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Much of the world is in a state of panic and stress.  People are confused, sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the worst to come from the news, constant discussion and reporting starting to get into people’s psyche. 

We are inundated with flashy alert graphics moving across the TV screen with a “crisis” tone.  We hear music and sounds that perpetuate doom and makes us feel a sense of negative urgency.
 
All of this can trigger, and/or develop, anxiety.
 
While we are able to handle a certain amount of stress, constant chronic low and high levels of stress can put our brain in a state of stress that eventually causes our body to feel anxious and shaky.     
We have the ability to support, strengthen and empower our body and immune system and reduce the effects and feelings of anxiety.
 
Here are a few habits and tips on how to calm our brain and body if you are experiencing anxiety:
 
1)  Practice rhythmic breathing.  This is a form of breathing that has been show to decrease anxiety, improve sleep, create a calming effect on the nervous system, lower blood pressure, improve breathing and even reduce anger. In rhythmic breathing you inhale for a period of time, hold it for double that time and then forcefully exhale the breath you were holding.   For example, breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it for 8 seconds and forcefully exhale for 5-8 seconds.   Or, breathe in as long as you can, hold it for as long as you can and then forcefully exhale it as long as you can.
 
This relaxes the brain and nervous system, oxygenates your body and engages the relaxation side of your brain.  It takes you from a state of sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) dominance toward a balance of parasympathetic (calming) nervous system engagement.
 
Do this periodically throughout the day, but especially when you feel anxiety come on.
 
 
2)  CHOOSE what you watch and listen to!   Believe it or not, we can turn the TV off, put on a different channel or limit how much we view.   It is unnecessary to watch news about the coronavirus non-stop.   It is unhealthy to constantly be in that state of heightened panic.   So, for every hour you watch something, or read something, about the coronavirus, you have to double watch, or read, something positive, uplifting, humorous, self-improving and anything that contributes positivity and strength to our body and brain.   If you watch 1 hour of coronavirus stress, then you have to watch 2 or 3 hours of something uplifting and positive.   Or, at minimum, match the amount of coronavirus material and something non-coronavirus.
 
We have the ability to control what we are exposed to and for how long.    AND, we have the ability to control how we respond to what is going on around us.
 
 
3)  Use visualizations, affirmations and/or prayer to change the state of our nervous system and brain.
 
4)  Use Calming Essential Oils.    Essential oils have been used for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, for many purposes.  They are even referenced as far back as in the Bible.   Some that are known to have calming effects are:
      • Lavender Essential Oil. One of the most common essential oils for relaxation is Lavender.
      • Rose Essential Oil. …
      • Ylang Ylang Essential Oil. …
      • Bergamot Essential Oil. …
      • German Chamomile Essential Oil. …
      • Melissa Essential Oil. …
      • Jasmine Essential Oil. …
      • Clary Sage Essential Oil.
5)  Exercise
 
6)  Redirect our thoughts
 
Available:

David J. Calabro, DC, CCN, FICPA, CEG
Calabro Chiropractic and Wellness Center

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While fear necessary for human survival (e.g., it functions to warn us to danger), most anxiety in modern society is an unhealthy pattern of thoughts and beliefs, regardless of actual levels of threat. Dysfunctional thinking and beliefs are rooted in our interpretations of the environment and can have massive impacts on our overall mental, physical, and social health. Here are a few tips to reduce anxiety in times of stress:

  • Chiropractic care. Chiropractic helps the body function optimally. When the spine is misaligned, communication between brain and body is altered, which has influences on the whole body. Anxiety is an alteration in mood rooted in a maladaptive response to the environment. Realigning the spine can help reduce interference between brain and body and relieve feelings of anxiety. Chiropractic adjustments can also stimulate the part of the nervous system that counteracts anxiety. Anxiety is an over-activation of what is known as the sympathetic nervous system—often known as “fight or flight.”Chiropractic adjustments, done by a trained chiropractic physician, can “turn on” the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby relaxing the state of fight or flight. Research shows that patients with normative levels of anxiety (non-clinical) were less likely to experience symptoms of anxiety after just a few chiropractic adjustments. (hint: I authored a publication! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29260883)
  • Self soothing. Our 5 senses are the way in which we know the world. We can distract ourselves from the stresses around us by soothing our 5 senses. Here are some ideas:
Sight: Look at pictures that make you smile or bring back happy memories, watch a movie that elicits an emotion other than anxiety, paint.
Smell: Light (non-toxic) candles, Smell essential oils, Bake organic cookies, Cook foods whose smells remind you of your mother (assuming you had a good relationship).
Touch: Rub (non-toxic) lotion on your arms and legs, Take deep breaths and feel the air enter your lungs, Get a massage, If you are in a panic attack, stick your head in a bucket of ice (this will shock your system back to the present moment).
Taste: Cook foods that stimulate positive and calming emotions, Drink one glass of red wine, eat spicy foods that distract your thinking
Sound: Call a friend, listen to soothing music, listen to music that makes you sing, go to a playground and listen to kids laugh.
  • Support your gut. Your microbiome refers to an entire of ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that reside inside of our body, especially within the gut. We rely on these microbes for survival. While we previously believed anxiety to be a “mental illness,” new research shows a strong role of the gut in the manifestation of anxiety. Identification of the so-called gut-microbiome-brain axis has opened an entirely new area of research, transforming the way we think about and treat mental illnesses like anxiety. In fact, more than 90% of the body’s serotonin and more than 50% of the body’s dopamine are synthesized in the gut, not the brain!High levels of stress can impact gut health, which can play a role in the onset and severity of anxiety. Gut health can be supported through a healthy diet (e.g., real foods, no processed food, decreased sugar, organic, non-gmo, no antibiotics in meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, water, etc.), probiotics and prebiotics, and through nutritional supplementation.

Dr. Andrea Nazarenko, PhD
Owner, Old Mill Chiropractic and Family Wellness

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Creator of CalmCampaign.com
3 Habits to Cope with Stress in Super Stressful Times
1. Balance Board Workout: Spend time doing what you do on a balance board. Whether you’re working, talking on the phone, watching your favorite show or just stressing out. Do it on a balance board. Balance requires your present time awareness and is a great way to distract you from your thoughts causing you stress.
2. Sip hot tea: When you’re stressed out because your mind is catastraphizing the worst case scenarios, sip some hot tea. Besides the physical warmth of the tea physically relaxing your muscles and warming your face, you must pay attention to sipping your tea as to not burn yourself. Focusing on being aware in the moment is a great way to break the habit of thinking about every worst case scenario possible.
3. Read or Listen to What Inspires You: Sometimes we’re better off with someone else’s words in our brain’s when we get caught in the mental cycle of stress. Our minds are programmed to look for problems and solve them. When we’re overloaded with too many large problems our minds can get jammed up in a cycle of stress. Give your mind a  break by letting someone else do the thinking for a few.
Marin County, California
Founder: AmpLIFEied.com
Producer of: CalmCampaign.com
Contact:
Jo Allison
PR Managing Editor
MEDIA AMBASSADORS
Success In Media, Inc.
Jo@SuccessInMedia.com

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