In the first week of 2022 I had the privilege of travelling to Fiji. My days began with breakfast by the lagoon followed by a dip in the crystal clear water, a walk on the beach and a midday cocktail. The rest of the day was much the same cycle of rest and relaxation, enjoying the company of my family and the pace of island life. Paradise, right?
Well, not exactly…
It certainly was a luxurious and restful break, but there was a humming of anxiety at the back of my mind for most of the trip. The source of my anxiety was, of course, the risk of catching Covid.
There is no ideal time to catch Covid, however the stress factor of catching the virus while far from home is real. My vivid imagination began to run wild with catastrophic images of losing my holiday, being trapped in a foreign country with a drained bank account from a hotel-iso stay while battling through potentially weeks of the virus.
Thankfully, none of my fears came true. However, the stress of the experience of travel in Covid times got me thinking about how we are all living with chronic anxiety.
What is Chronic Anxiety?
Chronic anxiety is anxiety that does not go away. It reflects generalised anxiety disorder, which is pervasive and intense worry that generalises to all aspects of life. People who suffer from generalised anxiety disorder, or GAD, always feel on the edge or a sense of dread, that manifests in intense emotions, negative thoughts and physical symptoms (e.g. tummy in knots, headaches). I think that most of us, regardless of whether we have experience with mental health issues, can relate to this chronic anxiety that has been an inevitable part of day-to-day life in the past three years.
The reality is that every day of our lives we face triggers for anxiety, such as risks, uncertainty or even scary social situations (read more here). But most of us weren’t acutely aware of these triggers until a global pandemic changed our perspective on how little control we actually have. Then, doing the groceries suddenly became a ‘potential exposure venue,’ let alone attending a party! Every choice and decision had to be weighed against potential risks. And then no matter how much we tried to anticipate and control, there was always the ‘what if’ factor (cue walking by random person who coughs/sneezes on you).
Chronic anxiety in Covid times is a shared experience that has brought us all together in some ways and made us feel scared and alone in other ways. I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to how we can best live with chronic anxiety in 2022. Here are some tips that I put into practice (especially while on holiday) to try to manage my own anxiety!
1. Balance What You Read and Watch
If you want to reduce your anxiety, then a good place to start is by making balanced decisions over what media content you are paying attention to. While it can be tempting to read every news alert, or constantly check newsfeeds, often this can lead to a negative information overload and not give you the mental break that you need. It’s important to balance staying informed with also reading lighter content (opinion pieces, novels and blogs!) or watching something funny (comedy shows, Tik Tok). Limiting news intake in a balanced and healthy way allows us to switch off from the negativity of the world and better manage triggers for our chronic anxiety.
2. Talk About It, and Then Don’t Talk About It
A great way to relieve anxiety is to talk about it with someone else. Sharing what is stressing us can lead to external validation (‘me too’ moments), a sense of support and a fresh perspective on our situation. It’s important to lean on our friends, and mental health professionals, when we are struggling with chronic anxiety.
But then we need to learn to not talk about it too.
One of the rules I used to cope with chronic anxiety while on holidays was making a pact with my family to keep Covid out of the conversation for parts of the day. It’s something I’m considering to introduce to my friends as well, as catch-ups can easily become endless Covid chats that distract from quality time and good shared experiences. Coping with chronic anxiety means talking about it, and then knowing when it’s helpful to stop talking about it and to start focusing on something or someone else.
3. A Post-Traumatic Growth Mindset
What all anxiety boils down to is two factors:
1. Something bad is going to happen.
2. I won’t be able to cope with that bad thing.
A lot of psychologists work with their patients on challenging the likelihood that something bad is going to happen or reframing what a ‘bad’ thing actually is. While this is helpful, I prefer challenging the second part of anxiety – the feeling of not being able to cope. The reality is that we are now living with Covid, and its often negative impacts on our lives. But if the last three years have taught us anything, it’s that we can cope and adapt to really difficult situations.
A post-traumatic growth mindset is defined as;
‘the positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity and other challenges in order to rise to a higher level of functioning.’
This means that from negative things happening in life, we actually grow into better, stronger and wiser people, with more appreciation for the world and understanding of ourselves.
How Can You Practice Post-Traumatic Growth?
I think a great way to cultivate a post-traumatic growth mindset is to remind yourself of other tough experiences that you have got through and survived in the past. Interestingly, I had already gone through a holiday that was cancelled, literally at the moment of hotel check-in, due to a sudden change in restrictions. This experience, though painful at the time, taught me that I could cope with sudden disappointment and while my holiday dreams might be crushed my life would not fall apart.
While others might consider past disappointments and avoid future risks, I looked at my ability to cope in the past and this gave me the confidence to try again for the future. I’m glad that I turned my disappointing experience into an opportunity for growth and I’m really glad I was brave enough to book a holiday in these uncertain times. But I had to get comfortable with the fact that if my worst fears did come true, I would be able to cope and survive.
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We don’t know what will happen in 2022, or what challenges may be ahead, but my advice to you is not to listen to your chronic anxiety. Instead, try to find the balance in life, surround yourself with supportive people and start reminding yourself that no matter what, you will find the strength to cope and survive!
P.S. Scroll down for a few holiday snaps 🙂
