6 Keys To Reducing Christmas Anxiety In The Midst Of A Pandemic
It is normal to feel some anxiety at Christmas time, it is an intense period that includes both obligations and the desire to enjoy traditional festivities and family.
The obligations that generate anxiety can be the preparations for these holidays such as buying gifts, visiting stores, organizing agendas with family and friends, etc. However, the anxiety described corresponds to an adaptive and normal anxiety.
It is important to note that anxiety itself, as an emotion, is necessary. We cannot live without anxiety even though it is always labeled as “something negative to eliminate.” Anxiety helps us prepare for what we believe is going to happen, it helps us face a future situation and that is why a certain level of anxiety is adaptive and necessary.
The problem arises when anxiety is high, harmful and maladaptive.. This type of maladaptive anxiety is disproportionate to the future situation that we believe is going to occur, that is, we can assess that something more negative is going to happen than the real probability of it happening and that we will not be able to cope with it. We therefore appreciate that we do not have coping resources for what we believe is going to happen and therefore we begin to suffer in the present for something that has not happened.
These symptoms may include rapid breathing, increased heart rate, pressure in the chest, and a feeling of choking or a lump in the throat.
The big difference in this Christmas season compared to times before the pandemic is the increase in cases with maladaptive anxiety. It is logical that it happens, after all, to the adaptive anxiety typical of Christmas, there is added heightened anxiety as a result of the COVID pandemic. At the PsicoAlmería Psychology Center we are observing an increase in cases related to high and maladaptive anxiety on these dates.
This anxiety caused by the pandemic results in an increase in negative thoughts that continually condition us. The most common may be those related to hypervigilance and fear of being infected or infecting someone close. And in relation to these Christmas dates, We may have doubts about whether to stay with family or not due to the catastrophic consequences that could arise..
These thoughts carry compatible emotions, that is, when we have negative thoughts, the emotions that arise are also those related to emotional discomfort such as anxiety.
And once we experience these symptoms our behaviors will be aimed at reducing anxiety, although in most cases these behaviors usually do not work as we would like and cause our anxiety to increase further. Because? It’s simple: We tend to engage in avoidance and escape behaviors when faced with situations that cause us anxiety., this works for us in the short term because we will feel relief. But, in the long term the problem persists and the anxiety will return with greater force.
An example could be the following: If I stay with my relatives at Christmas, I could infect someone without knowing it and I wouldn’t be able to live with it (thought), I feel bad thinking about that happening (anxiety and anxiety-related symptoms), so I decide that I am not going to meet anyone (behavior and anxiety reduction).
In the short term you may feel good about making that decision, and the anxiety will have served its purpose. But In the long term you will be able to continue performing avoidance behaviors (do not meet with anyone so as not to infect), and you will not attend to the needs that you continue to have, such as the need for contact with your family and friends. In this way, the maladaptive anxiety that remains on a personal level will increase more and more by stopping doing things that are necessary and pleasant.
What can we do to reduce anxiety?
Below, we present some keys or psychological guidelines that will help you confront and reduce maladaptive anxiety.
1. Go to a professional
It is important that you do not neglect your mental health. If you are in a situation that causes you a lot of discomfort and high anxiety, it is beneficial to go to a psychologist.
Both the psychologist Verónica Valderrama Hernández and her team will help you resolve your maladaptive anxiety. Each person is different, and that is why it is important for them to carry out an adequate evaluation of the situation. what do you care about. In this way they carry out an effective therapy adapted to finding your emotional well-being.
Internal dialogue is a technique that can help you in moments of anxiety. As we have mentioned before, thoughts trigger compatible emotions and behaviors.
If we believe that something negative and unpleasant is going to happen and we feel that we cannot cope with it, we will feel anxiety and our behavior will be compatible with that anxiety. A good option is an adequate dialogue with yourself when those automatic and negative thoughts arise that trigger your anxiety.
Initially try to write down these recurring thoughts, and write down alternative objective thoughts (more focused on reality) next to them. The difference between automatic and rational thoughts is that the former tend to be shorter and more extreme and the latter more objective. Those alternative thoughts that you are going to generate will be aimed at offering you more self-confidence. Once you have them written down, it is as simple as using them and repeating them when the onset of your anxiety is triggered.
Think about the following: If you only have one thought, the chances of believing it will be high and you will suffer the consequences.. If you have more than one thought (the automatic one and the alternative one that you have created), your mind will not be able to assign as many probabilities to the negative thought because you are offering it different options or hypotheses of a future that you don’t really know.
In the example of these Christmas holidays, it is not the same to think “if I stay I am going to infect a family member and they will die, it is better not to see the family”, than to offer you this alternative thought: “I can postpone meeting a family member who could be a group risk and remain with a limited number along with security measures.”
3. Mindfulness
The practice of Mindfulness is very useful for cases of anxiety; It is scientifically proven to provide benefits and advantages in this sense. Mindfulness, both formal (with audios) and informal (learning to live in the here and now) will help you reduce maladaptive anxiety.
It’s simple, think that anxiety keeps your mind occupied with worries that have not yet occurred, situations that you anticipate are going to happen. With anxiety it is like living in a negative future, finding yourself in an almost continuous state of alert.
Mindfulness allows you to live with full awareness, allowing you to live in the present. Mindfulness is a skill that is trained, and you will be able to redirect your attention in real situations that are occurring, this will help you in moments of anxiety. In PsicoAlmería you will find audios and videos to practice Mindfulness.
4. Patience
Anxiety does not disappear suddenly, it is an emotion that lasts for a while, so you must be patient; Little by little you will restore your well-being. Think that anxiety serves a survival functionyour mind believes that it protects you by provoking it (because the anxiety is yours, it is caused by your mind and your body suffers from it).
You are going to show your mind little by little that it is okay for it to protect you as long as it is an adaptive anxiety so that it readjusts the maladaptive anxiety.
5. Pleasant activities
When was the last time you did something for the first time? Take advantage and do something different, or do something you haven’t done in a while. Try to join in things that make you feel good and this way you can get away from anxiety.
6. Social and family contact as far as possible
Even though we continue to maintain distance from family and acquaintances, do not stray too far away.. If little by little you feel that you are becoming more distant, connect more with your important people, even if it is through technology. This is important during these Christmas holidays when it is tradition to be with our loved ones.
And finally, remember that when we feel bad we can go to mental health professionals who will help us and understand what the PsicoAlmería psychologists are like.
