Handling Life’s Stress with Unexpected Life Transitions

Life for many people has undergone a big transition the last several weeks, as Coronavirus has changed the way we work, school, and socialize. While plenty joke about how, for introverts, staying at home isn’t a big deal, studies are showing that many of us are grieving this enormous shift in our lives. Coronavirus stress has included loss of work and pay for a lot of people, along with daycare and school closures.

For some, the transition to staying at home is compounding other stress in their lives. Here are just some of the things people we know are dealing with on top of the Coronavirus challenges.

Dealing with life’s “regular” challenges on top of a global pandemic feels overwhelming. Many of us are seeking ways to cope during this time. Here are some ideas for handling the stress, now or at any other time.

1. Take one day at a time. A lot of anxiety is caused by worry about the future, which, of course, we cannot control. We can’t bury our heads in the sand, but we can narrow our focus to a single day. Get up each day and focus on what you can do today to feel well and manage stress. A friend of mine’s therapist talks about a game called “past, present, future.” The goal is to ignore all the worries about the past and the future. Nothing matters but the present.

2. Find joy in each day. What are the silver linings to staying at home more? Some may find it easier to exercise each day; after all, you likely don’t have many other things clogging your calendar. You may get to spend more time with your family, catch up on some fantastic books, or learn something new in an online class.

3. Be as productive as you can. Each weekend, we’re striving to do something productive on both Saturday and Sunday. That might mean cleaning the fridge or the shed or taking a bike ride. The point is to do something that feels like an accomplishment and results in satisfaction of a job well done. Doing these things makes life seem more normal and makes staying at home less frustrating.

4. Meditate. We’ve talked before about meditation and its benefits to relieve stress and anxiety and improve focus.  Try to start a daily habit of meditation.

5. Exercise. You’ve heard this before, and it’s still true. Exercise is good for relieving stress. Plus, if you exercise outside, it gets you out of the house!

6. Look for solutions. The friend with the flu had to just do her best. She and her children got it, so she took sick time from work and cuddled with her kids on the couch for a few days. The friend who had to move found a real estate broker to help find a new home. While nothing in life is perfect, working toward some solution will help you feel better and ease stress about the situation.

What is helping you manage your stress during this time?