In the weeks since the coronavirus emerged, our lives have been disrupted in unimaginable ways. Julie Larson, LCSW will provide tools to cope with the emotional impact of fear, uncertainty, and isolation many are experiencing today. Join us as we walk through strategies for managing anxiety and ideas for staying connected and supported during this unprecedented time.
5. Paying attention with purpose.
What we are doing that is helpful and unhelpful
Going to the Mental Gym
Redirect focus to the present moment
Let Go. Relax. Return.
Gently start again.
Discipline is a caring way of protecting us from unhealthy habits.
Self care. (e.g. routine, limits, boundaries, schedule)
Managing the Mind
7. Talk it over with trusted (safe) supportive others to
create a concrete plan.
Learn more and flush out what the picture might look
like if you arrived at one of your “What If” scenarios.
Can be helpful in settling anxiety.
Others are here to support and guide you.
STRATEGY: “What If?”… “Then What?”
8. Those at risk for complications from Covid 19 include
cancer survivors
Hospitals have strict protocols in place to protect
patients, family members and staff.
Detailed guidelines for diagnosing and treating all
vulnerable patients.
What helps you trust your team?
What would be helpful as you work to tolerate
medical uncertainty?
Cancer Survivor Lens
9. Basic personal hygiene:
Washing hands
Not touching your face
Keep distance from others - Stay home
Make a list of questions for your oncology team
Continuation of treatment – clinical trial
Follow up protocol – timing
Explore options for getting your medications
Can medications be sent to you?
Is there a specific (new) procedure for picking things up?
Cancer Survivor Lens
Where do you have control?
10. What personal attributes helped you through other
difficult times?
What is different about today than times of cancer related
isolation?
What have you done to feel prepared or grounded in the
past?
What would your most encouraging, supportive and
empowering loved ones say to you, about YOU ability to
cope?
Survivor Narrative
11. Uncertainty is one of the more
difficult emotions.
Our minds go to great
lengths to gain control in
the face of uncertainty.
Desperately Seeking Control
12. This hour. This day.
Trust in future self efficacy to keep functioning along
the way.
When you arrive in each new present moment… you
are not alone.
Others are here to support you and guide you.
STRATEGY: One Day At A Time
13. Learning to tolerate uncomfortable emotions gives us
flexibility.
Get curious. Allows you a third person perspective.
Separate the Feeling from You.
Responsive vs. Reactive.
Control may look like turning your attention
elsewhere.
Just Be.
14. Anchor your worry OUTSIDE of your worry.
Turn your attention.
Project
Creative Expression: Music, Art, Cooking…
Physical Activity
Nature
Connect with others.
STRATEGY: Control. Alt. Delete.
15. Isolation puts you more at risk for anxiety &
depression.
Be mindful of indulging in coronavirus story telling.
Creative ways of connecting:
Read a book/watch a show together
Marco Polo
Share pics from the day
Staying Connected
16. Monitor your consumption of news.
Become self-aware of when you are NOT aware. “Oh,
goodness I am here again?” “Wow, look at the time!”
Set notifications – take back control.
Determine what you need and when you’ve hit your
limit
What is the purpose? The goal?
Check your physical experience.
Jay Michealson, 10% Happier
Educating (and caring for)Yourself
17. Finding joy
Balancing worry with hope
Acknowledging suffering alongside healing
Noting thoughts: Past, Present and Future.
Balance
19. To feel tired is understandable. There is energy involved in
mentally monitoring yourself.
Experiment with how much time you need to recharge?
Give thought to how you end each day – what feels
comforting to you?
Reflection
Escape
Gratitude
Connection
Comfort
Impermanence is your best friend – each hard moment
changes.
This is effort
Editor's Notes
I realize you are all sitting at your desk with varying roles and responsibilities. These circumstances are impacting all of us and that stress shows up in many ways.
Difficult NOT to have things on the calendar to look forward to, losses and more unexpected interruptions.
What are you experiencing right now?
What one thing you think you should stop doing to make you feel better?
So, when you find yourself lost…or irritable… or emotional…
When you notice the feeling. Name it. You create a little distance between yourself and the feeling you are experiencing.
In this space, can you plug in self care…
Getting in touch with your inner wisdom and resilience.
Building calm compassion & self awareness help us do our best under stress and lower our chances of reacing from fear/panic.
Back in the driver’s seat.
Thoughts are in a feedback loop. Indecisive. Scattered. Hazy. Fast/Slow.
Feelings: Overwhelmed, Vulnerable, Disconnected, Hot, Irritable, Impulsive, Frantic, Pressured, Scared, Neglected, Panic
Body: Lethargic, Buzzy, Heartrate, Stomach knots, muscle tension, headaches, digestion
Many times anxiety presents itself in the form of What Ifs…
Sometimes coping with anxiety means walking down the path of worry.
Consider your biggest What Ifs and ask, Then What?
Creating a concrete plan can be helpful in settling the anxiety. Focus on what is reasonably within your control.
Also helps to illuminate the disparity in the here and now. Can help you see your NOW more clearly.
Know your risk. Gather specific information. Feel prepared.
Turn this behaviors into opportunities to practice mindfulness
Notice washing your hands – touch, sound
Make not touching your face into a game… notice, resist, build muscles for tolerating discomfort
Your medical team is working to make decisions weighing the risks of Covid 19 and the importance of your cancer treatment (some can be delayed, some can not)
Ask all your questions about your health, side effect management and treatment
Be honest about your worry and fears – (turn attention - trust)
What concrete information helps you to trust? What would be helpful to you as you work to tolerate uncertainty?
Protective. Effort to keep you safe.
Uncertainty is inevitable. Futile attempts to gain control leave us more exhausted, anxious and drained.
Drain you of time, energy and resources – don’t have enough to cope with what would otherwise have been manageable.
Within your Control: Know how to reduce the risk of infection.
Outside your Control: Working to figure out how inaccurate the statistics are or who in your area is exposed/infected.
Important to keep in mind that we each have different styles of coping.
We have to have a plan for… or what about when…. Can become TOO MUCH for some people. They do better with, in this hour. Etc.
When we strengthen our ability to tolerate difficult emotions we become more skilled at allowing them to co-exist in the background as we attend to other things.
When we can separate the feeling from being the feeling we can allow regain control
It may be unrealistic to completely wash away all the rumble of discomfort right now. Can you work to find islands of calm or strategies to help you stay engaged despite the noise of uncertainty in the background.
To see the cup as half empty or half full is missing the point. The cup… is refillable. Take each moment at a time.