Addressing Anxiety: Practical Steps to Manage Anxiety at Home

By Melody Wright, LMFT

Do you know that approximately 18% of the American population experiences anxiety-related disorders, but only about 37% of the population will access treatment? Recent world events have also created higher levels of anxiety, and accessing treatment outside of the home may pose some challenges depending on your region’s Covid restrictions. Addressing anxiety-related symptoms can look differently depending on the individual. For those that may be experiencing barriers accessing resources for anxiety, there are tools that can be learned to help relieve anxiety from the comfort of your own home. Some of the tools involve techniques related to the physical body, such as icing your vagus nerve, as changes in the physical body can create changes in our mental and emotional wellbeing.  

What is a Vagus nerve?

 The vagus nerve is the main nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system controls body functions such as your heart rate, respiratory rate, digestion, and immune system. When activated, the vagus nerve will send a signal to the parasympathetic nervous system to relax. This will then slow down your heart and respiratory rates. 

How do I “ice” my Vagus nerve?

There are many ways to activate your vagus nerve. You can “ice” your vagus nerve by holding a zip lock bag full of ice cubes on your face, or dipping your face in a bowl with cold water. You can also hold a bag of ice on your chest and lay down for 10 to 15 minutes. Another way to activate your vagus nerve without “icing” it is to practice slow deep breaths.

 Why does icing my Vagus nerve relieve anxiety?

Anxiety will usually trigger the fight or flight response, which will increase our heart rate and speed up our breathing. According to experts, cold temperatures can activate your vagus nerve, which will send signals to your parasympathetic system to relax. These signals will help you slow your heart rate, and as a result your breathing, which counteracts the signals that your body sends to “fight or fly” when experiencing anxiety. 

What else can I do at home to relieve my anxiety?

While icing your vagus nerve can be a great way to reduce your anxiety in the moment, we know this may not always be a practical option for our readers to tap into. If you don’t have a bag of ice readily available, or prefer to alternate between strategies, here are some other tools you can use to reduce your anxiety:

• Shift your focus: Distracting your mind can be a great way to pull yourself out of anxious thoughts and get back to the present moment. You can do this by using the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Find and name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. 

• Peel an orange: Certain scents, such as citrus and lavender, can have calming effects on the body. Peeling an orange can help introduce a calming scent to your current environment. 

• Practice Box Breathing: As mentioned before, deep breathing can help activate your vagus nerve. If you’re not familiar with any breathing exercise, try box breathing. To practice box breathing, you inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, and hold your breath out for a count of 4. Repeat as necessary until you feel a sense of calm. 

These tips and strategies may help temporarily ease anxiety for some of our readers, but they may not adequately address ongoing anxiety and its related symptoms. Engaging in therapeutic services with a mental health professional may be more appropriate for anyone facing challenges with their current coping mechanisms, or individuals that have been experiencing anxiety for a long period of time. If you find yourself needing new strategies to help you address your anxiety levels, we encourage you to book a phone consultation today at Life by Design. Our telehealth services can be a great resource for anyone experiencing barriers with accessing services outside of their home. 

Navigating COVID: 5 Tips to Reduce Stress During the Pandemic

by Melody Wright, LMFT

Now that the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown has come and gone, many of us are reflecting on the ways our lives have changed as a result of the pandemic. Some of those changes may be positive, such as spending more time on hobbies while we're at home. However, many of them may be the result of pandemic-related stress that we're still navigating, more than 365 days later. Our children's schools may not have reopened, so we may still be watching them, or we may still be adjusting to working from home.

And, with the vaccine becoming more widely available, many of us are facing renewed anxiety around COVID-19. There are dozens of questions on our minds: when will we be able to get vaccinated? When will we be able to stop wearing a mask? Will we be able to go on our summer vacation? In other words, just because there is hope on the horizon does not mean that pandemic-related stress is going to disappear overnight. We still need to develop healthy ways to cope with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These five essential tips will help you navigate pandemic-related stress in a proactive way. Strengthening your coping skills will not only serve you during the pandemic, but it will continue to improve your stress management in your everyday life.

1. Take a break from the news.

As critical as it is to stay informed, you should limit the amount of time you spend consuming news about the pandemic. Information about social distancing and vaccine scheduling matters, but it can also be incredibly disheartening when it is all we are hearing about. It's important to take time away from the news to engage in conversation about ordinary life: people we know, things we enjoy, and all the things we would talk about under "normal" circumstances! ("News" includes social media, too.)

2. Connect with loved ones.

Many of us have been isolated for some time due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving us feeling down in the dumps. Maintaining strong social connections is essential to our mental health. Luckily, thanks to modern technology, we can still connect with friends and family from a safe distance. Scheduling virtual lunch or dinner dates, or simply picking up the phone to call a friend, can make a huge difference in helping you feel less lonely during the pandemic.

3. Follow your daily routine.

When working from home, or otherwise experiencing interruptions in your daily routine, it's easy to start the day off on the wrong foot. It may be tempting to wear pajamas to work all day (who would ever know?) or order takeout every day for dinner instead of cooking. However, keeping up with as much of your regular routine as possible can help you restore some sense of normalcy to your life. You can't control when the country reopens, but you can decide to get dressed in the morning as if you were going to the office or to meal plan the same way you would if the kids were going to school.

4. Incorporate light physical activity.

Exercise releases endorphins that boost our mood and relieve stress. The thought of going to the gym or for an hour-long run during a global pandemic may feel overwhelming, but exercise doesn't have to be structured. Your daily "workout" might include walking the dog, jumping on the trampoline with your kids, or even cleaning the house. Even simply standing up every 30 minutes while working from home can benefit your health. The key is to find easy activities you love to do that don't feel like work! 

5. Speak to your employer.

Lots of workers, especially healthcare workers and essential workers, are feeling the effects of pandemic-related stress in the office, and many employers have set up infrastructures to help employees cope. If working from home with kids or working long shifts in an essential workplace is becoming overwhelming, speak to your employer to see if there are wellness supports in place to help make things easier. You might even be able to move your shifts around or get more flexibility with time off to take care of the kids and other responsibilities at home, alleviating some of the stress of the pandemic.

How to Embrace the Holiday Season During the Pandemic

by Melody Wright, LMFT

The holiday season is rapidly approaching -- and with the change in seasons, so is the possibility of another wave of COVID-19 cases striking our nation. 

When watching the news, it can be easy to get discouraged by the plans we'll have to cancel and the traditions we won't get to experience. But the presence of a global pandemic does not mean the holidays are cancelled.

This year's celebrations might look different, but we can still enjoy the holidays with family and friends in safe, socially distanced ways. Here's how to navigate the holidays, logistically and emotionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coping with Change

Whatever your usual holiday traditions, there is a very real chance that your plans may need to change in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes can be challenging in terms of planning, but also to cope with emotionally. 

Some changes might create conflict between you and your family members. People may disagree about the safety measures that should be taken to protect vulnerable family members from the virus. Additionally, limits on the number of people who can gather for the holidays might mean disappointing relatives who didn't make the guest list.

Your safety, and that of your at-risk loved ones, must take the ultimate priority. With that in mind, you may need to make tough choices about who to spend the holidays with, based on the precautions your friends and family are taking to avoid getting sick. But that does not mean these decisions are easy to make, especially when they mean disappointing loved ones.

If you are feeling anxious, sad, angry, or afraid about the changes you will need to make to your holiday celebrations, it's important to acknowledge your emotions. Whatever you are feeling during this trying time is valid. That being said, that does not mean you should give into old or potentially unhealthy coping strategies to deal with these emotions.

People with mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or substance use disorder may find they are triggered by the stress of the pandemic. Understanding that this year's holidays might be more challenging than usual means creating a coping plan ahead of time so that you will not give in to any of your default habits, like abusing substances or avoiding your emotions.

Think about the ways you usually cope with stress.  Do they make you feel better or worse? Are the consequences positive or negative? Then, add some additional habits you want to incorporate -- such as exercising, crafting, meditating, or journaling -- to build into your routine to help you manage holiday stress. By managing your own stress response, you will also be less vulnerable to anger, which may reduce family conflict around the holidays.

Celebrating Safely

The COVID-19 pandemic does not mean you need to cancel your holiday plans, but it does mean you may need to make changes to adapt your celebrations to the most recent safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other global, federal, state, and local regulatory agencies.

One of the most challenging regulations to deal with is the limit on the number of attendees that can be present at family gatherings. In California, the current rule is that no more than three households can be present at any private gathering. This means that while you can still see your close family around the holidays, you may not be able to hold parties or large gatherings with extended family.

If you want to see your extended family over the holidays, you might consider bringing your annual celebrations online using a video chat platform like Zoom or Skype. You can even get creative with technology: for example, you could plan a virtual movie night using the Teleparty extension for Google Chrome, which allows you to invite friends and family to a synchronized viewing of your favorite holiday film on Netflix.

Many of us have older relatives or relatives who are immunocompromised and worry about whether our holiday celebrations could negatively impact their health. Online celebrations are also a good option for these family members, who can stay safe at home while still avoiding isolation over the holidays. 

However, some elderly family members may not feel comfortable using technology or have access to the kind of technology needed to take part in virtual gatherings. In that case, an old-fashioned phone call or a holiday card sent by snail mail can let your older relative know that you are thinking of them, without putting them at risk of contracting the virus.

Some of us who live far from our families may need to weigh the risks of travel against the benefits of spending the holidays with loved ones. Whenever possible, it is safer to stay home -- but it is understandable that we would not want to feel isolated during such a special time of year. If you do choose to travel over the holidays, make sure you are complying with the latest regulations, such as wearing masks in public areas and social distancing whenever possible.

Navigating the holidays during the COVID-19 pandemic brings new challenges to our winter festivities, but that does not mean we cannot enjoy this time of year with family and friends. Start planning for the holidays now to ensure you can cope effectively and comply with all safety regulations necessary to have a safe and enjoyable celebration. 

And, if you find that you need additional support during this stressful time, remember that Life by Design Therapy is always here for you. Schedule a phone consultation with one of our therapists to help you manage the holiday blues no matter what you're celebrating, without leaving the safety of your home.