The chaos unleashed by panic shopping and food shortages due to coronavirus pandemic, has caused many people to start feeling anxious and scared.
Analine Flores, a family psychotherapist with offices in Woodland Hills, California, who specializes in symptoms of anxiety and depression, offers some tips to take care of our health mintl in times of this global pandemic.
"The fuel that fuels anxiety is catastrophic thoughts. If you went to the supermarket and saw that the shelves of the vegetables were empty, the first thing you think is that something bad is going to happen, "he says.
To counter those thoughts, we have to start by taking control and preparing.
"We must follow the suggestions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to avoid contagion from the epidemic," he stresses.
So instead of thinking the worst, we have to focus on what we are doing to take care of ourselves.
"If we are already taking action to prevent, now is the time to take care of emotions," he says.
For this, we must stop, breathe deeply and relax.
"If we are very nervous, thinking the worst, we will react full of anxiety ", accurate.
To get rid of those feelings, he recommends going for a walk in the neighborhood, a park or a garden.
"You don't have to stay locked up, but you also have to avoid crowded places."
It is also recommended to share a movie, board games, cook something together and live together with the family.
“A good strategy to calm down and distract the mind is that we pay attention to everything that is in the place where we are. If it is in the room, look at the objects, the color, describe them, notice the details; and if we go for a walk pay attention to what we have around us ”, he says.
Notice that many people find peace of mind by praying.
The most important thing is to make the decision to take care of yourself to be well and take care of the family.
How to protect children
In these times of the coronavirus, the psychotherapist advises showing the minors of the home that we ourselves are calm.
“If they see the family calm, they will also be calm. Children need to feel safe; and we must assure them that everything will be fine; and that mom and dad are going to be there to take care of them. "
He suggests avoiding conversations about problems in front of the children as he says, they absorb everything.
"We have to help them sleep well, and maintain a routine for them to relax before going to bed as that helps them to be calmer."
Lastly, she proposes to develop a family plan on what to do if someone gets sick. "Talk about the care and attention they will give the patient until they feel better."
If you want to know more about the family psychotherapist Analine Flores, you can visit her website: https://florecerfamilycounseling.com
