How to cope with stress as a business owner?
How to Cope with Stress During a Pandemic
When you hear the word stress, what comes to mind? Most of us believe and think that stress is bad; however, stress is not exactly bad because there is actually good stress. Stress is your body’s natural reaction to any challenging or difficult encounter you have, be it that of receiving upsetting news or finding yourself in a tricky situation.
As soon as your brain receives the stress signal, it triggers the stress response in your body that produces a series of physiological reactions. These reactions include rapid heart rate, profuse sweating, muscle tightening, and increased blood flow to your limbs to help you cope with the situation. You fight the problem, or flee it, which is why this response is also referred to as the ‘fight, flight response.’
This response is quite crucial to our survival as it helps us endure and combat many life- threatening and difficult situations. The problem comes when the stress does not go away even after the difficult situation.
In the current pandemic that the entire world is fighting, our ability to cope with stress has become even more strained. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has brought with it scores of problems that only added to our everyday worries, deteriorating our mental wellbeing and quality of life.
Let us look at the different stressors that we are struggling with in the current pandemic, followed by actionable and potent techniques to cope with the stress.
Unemployment and Recession
The current economy is one of the major stressors for about 70% of American adults. This is a much bigger statistic compared to the 46% of adults who found the economy as a big stressor in 2019. Recession has heightened during this pandemic, and people are constantly losing their jobs. In the US alone, 20.5 million people had lost their jobs by the end of May, 2020; hence why this current recession is also being referred to as the
‘Great Recession.’
Losing their job is one of the biggest challenges people have had to face in this time because this problem comes along with a series of other issues, including the inability to feed oneself and their families, pay rent and utility bills and ensure their survival.
Naturally, when your survival is at risk, you feel nothing but immensely stressed.
Remote Learning
Remote learning is the need of the hour presently, but a need that has only aggravated the stress of many. Kids and adults are finding it challenging to continue with their academics using online media that keeps them from enjoying campus life as well as learning in a real-time scenario from their teachers and professors.
Also, parents experience higher levels of frustration as compared to adults without kids because remote learning has increased their duties at home. In addition to working from home and looking after their households, they now have the added responsibility of teaching their kids and ensuring they learn using remote teaching mechanisms. On average, adults report a stress level of 5.9 during this scenario, which is higher than the level stated in 2019, which was around 4.9.
Lack of Social Connection
The best way to fight the coronavirus is to practice social distancing, which means you have to stay away from your loved ones, friends, and social contacts. Since human beings are social creatures and need love, connection, and attention to thrive, this limitation seriously impacts our emotional wellbeing.
Many people who were visiting loved ones, traveling around, for professional endeavors, or other purposes have been stuck in the country for months due to a ban on international travel. The ban is slowly lifting, but the stress experienced because of this ban is immense.
Besides, we have all been confined to the parameters of our homes for weeks. In trying times, you need your family the most, and if you are apart from them, it only increases your mental trauma.
Limited Activities
Being stuck at home for months isn’t easy, especially if you are an extrovert who loves going out, exploring new activities, and meeting people. There is only a limited set of activities you can engage in being at home, which can get to your nerves at one point. Children are also struggling with the same making them crankier; thus, affecting their mental wellbeing.
Negative Impact on Mental Health
COVID-19 has taken a toll on our mental health and has affected everyone in one way or another. Kids find themselves limited to their houses with no social life and physical activity to engage in, which makes them struggle with lethargy, irritability, and mood swings.
Adults, on the other hand, struggle with problems, including unemployment, lack of social connection, limitations on hitting the gym and operating solely from their homes. If you have kids, you go through all these struggles with the added pressure of managing your stress as well as that of their kids. When such are the times, it is only likely that you feel emotionally, mentally, and physically drained almost always.
Racial Tensions
Unfortunately, black people report higher levels of stress during this pandemic. Black people are battling with more problems as compared to Caucasians as 71% of black people have acquired the coronavirus as compared to 59% white Americans, and 61% of black people struggle to get basic needs as compared to 47% Caucasians.
The very unfortunate and sad killing of George Floyd has only compounded the racial tensions to a new high.
While these stressors and the current scenarios are devastating, there is nothing much you can do to escape the situation because this is what life has served us. However, you can still manage your stress levels and still lie a calm life even amidst the storm.
Effective Stress Coping Mechanisms
You are incredibly powerful, but only if you recognize and exercise your power. Here are some foolproof ways to assuage and manage your stress:
Accept the situation: Understand that Covid-19 is a reality and a serious problem that is here to stay for some time. It is a problem that lies beyond your parameters of control, so it is futile to worry about when it will end. Accept that it is now a part of your life, so you need to look for ways to live with it and maintain your sanity in this situation.
Practice deep breathing: Science shows that not only is shallow and rapid, breathing a sign of stress, but it also triggers stress. Train yourself to breathe deeply at all times by slowly inculcating this habit. Take a 2 to 5-minute deep breathing break every 2 hours where you inhale from your nose to a count of 5 and exhale through your mouth to a count of 7. This instantly relaxes and calms you.
Affirm positive suggestions: Constantly affirm positive suggestions to yourself such as, ‘I am happy,’ ‘I inhale peace and exhale stress,’ ‘I feel good about myself,’ ‘I am relaxed’ and so on to rewire your brain to think positively even during this difficult time. The human mind cannot distinguish between reality and imagination, so it accepts whatever you passionately and constantly suggest to it. Chant such affirmations daily to uplift your mood and find positive ways to spend your time.
Stay connected with loved ones: Take out 10 to 20 minutes of your routine day to engage with loved ones through digital technologies and tools. This helps you stay connected to loved ones and share your stories with them to feel better.
Engage in new activities: While you cannot actively go out, you can certainly try many new activities from the comfort of your home. Search for tutorials and videos on activities including arts, crafts, music, reading, and cooking to learn new skills and stay positively busy during this period
Go out for walks, runs and cycling trips: Since the lockdown is slowly being lifted, in some cities, you can move around in certain spaces. Stay physically active by going out for walks in the nearby parks, cycling trips, and hikes on mountains close by. Physical activity boosts the production of mood-improving hormones such as serotonin and dopamine that make you feel happier, focused, and enthusiastic. This relieves your stress quickly, allowing you to better cope with the situation.
Go on a digital detox: As much as our reliance on digital media has increased during this pandemic, going on a digital detox for a certain period is advisable to relax your body and mind. The blue rays emitted from screens disrupt your sleep cycle, make you irritable, and increase your stress. Cutting back on your screen time helps you unwind. Further, it is also important not to constantly feed yourself with all the negative news of people dying and the situation getting worse in certain areas. This in no way means that you are burying your head in the sand, but you are only protecting your mind. Be updated about what is happening, but don’t spend your days watching the news and following updates because this will only drive you crazy and make you feel hopeless.
These measures are super-effective, but only if you follow them consistently because positive exercises carried out daily yield compound effects.
