Five tips to stay calm and focused during the COVID-19 lockdown

Dr. Roopleen   |  

03-April-2020

Vol 11 | Issue 14

These are the worst of chaotic times that most people have ever experienced in life. All of a sudden, we’ve been shaken to the core and life’s been thrown out of gear.

We don’t know how long the novel Coronavirus will run its course and this seemingly insurmountable situation and restlessness last. But what we do know is that slowly the fear and uncertainty is wearing most people and we need to take measures to deal with it in order to maintain our mental balance.

Sure, anxiety is hard to control when you’re all panicked and stressed up. Here are 5 tips that will help you calm your nerves and keep cool.

Staying calm and cultivating a relaxed state of mind is important during this prolonged lockdown period

1. Remove yourself from negative thoughts

When you’re going through a really bad phase, emotions run high and a thousand thoughts cross your mind—mostly negative. The more you worry, the more fearful you get and this can become a vicious cycle. To avoid that from happening, shut out all disempowering thoughts. Try to collect the right information and see things in perspective instead of imagining worst case scenarios and regarding things worse than they are. Focus your mind on what you can do in order to protect yourself and keep others also safe.

2. Cultivate a relaxed state of mind

Getting alarmed and panicking in tough situations is natural and part of being human. But it is in such trying times that you must keep calm. Easier said than done, I know, but when you have little choice, you have to weigh the pros and cons and persuade yourself to do what is best for you to do it in the circumstance that you are in.

A stressful state of mind won’t help fight the situation any better; it’ll only compound your anxiety and make things worse by taking a toll on you. Developing a calmer state of mind and adopting a positive outlook on the other hand, will help you tide over the difficult time in a much better way.

3. Start a fitness regime

When life feels hard and you’re facing a difficult situation, motivating yourself to work out can be challenging. But in such rough circumstances, making your health and fitness a priority can be a saviour and prove to be a great support.

Working out not only boosts your stamina but also ensures that you keep your immunity levels up and the stress levels down. Also, regular exercising will give you a healthy burst of energy, improve your mood, engage your mind in something productive and fun and of course, help you stay in shape.

4. Disconnect from the alarming updates

If you feel listening to the news and regularly updating yourself with the rising number of Covid-19 positive cases is disturbing you and increasing your anxiety, stay away from all such information for a while. Mentally block yourself from thinking along those lines and refrain from discussing with others on this topic. This will help keep stress under control and you’ll be able to mentally relax for a while.

5. Connect with others

When life gets stressful, the last thing you want is to feel overwhelmed and lonely. One of the most important coping strategies in such circumstances is to ‘not go through it alone’ and be in touch with your support group. Nothing allays anxiety and relaxes the mind than connecting with ‘those you bond well with’ and who you know, understand and care for you.

This is the time to reach out to your support group. If it’s not possible to meet them, you can always make a video call or connect with them online. Talk to them about what you’re going through—share your fears, apprehensions and concerns. Pour your heart out. This small step will make a huge difference in your state of mind and go a long way in keeping you relaxed and calm.

When life throws a curveball your way and you’re in the middle of a dire situation—like the one we’re currently facing in the form of novel coronavirus pandemic—there’s a big risk that it can wreck havoc on your mental well-being leading to a complete meltdown. In such circumstances when you don’t know whether things will turn better or worse, getting wound up and letting things get on your nerves can take a toll on your health.

The need of the hour is to maintain poise, bank on your mental strength and resilience, remain hopeful and keep pushing through.

Victor Frankl once said, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response, lies our growth and our freedom.” When we’re challenged by a situation that we have little control over, the best thing we can do is to control how we react to it and choose to deal with it.

Your ability to remain calm, maintain composure and keep your emotions under control will decide how well you can tackle the situation and cope up with the unprecedented stressful condition that we all are experiencing.

About the Author

Dr. Roopleen is a motivational writer, life coach, blogger, super-specialist eye surgeon and author of six books.
Website: www.drroopleen.com | Email: [email protected]