Coping with COVID-19

With all of the focus on coronavirus, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to shift your thinking to a more helpful mind-frame:

What strategies have I used to cope with stress in the past?

We have all faced stress in our lives and we’ve successfully made it through, which is why we are still here today. What coping strategies did you use then to get by or manage when you were stressed? The more coping strategies you have, the more manageable stress can feel.

What things can I control?

Thinking about some small things you can control and putting things into action can help you feel more resilient.

Am I overestimating how bad things are?

Be sure to check the Australian Government website. The general media is likely to focus on extreme cases or areas where the virus has had the greatest impact, so these are not the best source of information. Physical distancing strategies, although disconcerting, are designed to lower the demand on medical services so that high quality support is available to those who need it, when they need it.

Am I only thinking about the worst-case scenario? What are other scenarios that are more likely to occur?

It is important to remind yourself that there are only a few cases of coronavirus in Australia compared to the total population of people in Australia. For a vast majority of those who might catch it, symptoms are likely to be minimal or even non-existent. There are groups of individuals that are more likely to experience more significant symptoms such as those in older age brackets (increasingly from 50+) and those with cardiovascular or immune system conditions. Even in these groups, our medical system is set up to support individuals, so most cases are expected to make a full recovery.

How will I think back on this in 1/5/10 years from now?

This is a technique called temporal distancing. In the moment it is easy to feel trapped by a flood of emotions, but temporal distancing can help you to step back and look at the broader picture.

What am I focusing on?

Are your thoughts and feelings based on fear, the unknown and aspects that you can't control? Shifting emphasis from fear, restriction, avoidance and the negatives to safety, gratitude, action and other positives can have a big impact on wellbeing. This is not a "just think positive" approach but instead is about shifting small parts of our focus and/or reframing our thinking to acknowledge our own gratitude and resilience.

When shopping, look for acts of consideration and kindness rather than focusing on people who are acting from fear.

When feeling frustration because you aren't able to do something, instead think of this as a sign of what you enjoy and value. For example:

• "I have a safe place to spend time" vs. "I'm stuck at home"
• "I have friends that I look forward to seeing in person again" vs. "I can't go and see my friends"

Shift fear based thinking to action based thoughts. For example

• "I am preventing the spread" rather than "I am afraid of catching COVID-19".
• "I will use physical distancing strategies and wash my hands frequently to reduce my chance of getting sick" vs. "I will get sick" or "I will die from this"
• "While I can't control the situation around me, I can control my actions to look after myself and reduce risk" vs. "Everything is out of control and there is too much uncertainty right now"

Another reframing strategy you can try

Remind yourself that you are not alone and that we are all facing this together. COVID-19 is impacting everyone, everywhere. Changes in lifestyle, habits, productivity, concentration and our experience of emotions, are a normal response to our stress, related to COVID-19. In psychobabble this is called normalising and helps us to realise that although our experience is unique, it is also an experience shared by many people around us. If you want to better understand how factors specific to you are influencing your experience, a counsellor can help you work through this.