How to Manage Anxiety as COVID-19 Restrictions Decrease

As COVID-19 restrictions change and decrease, you may feel anxious and worried. It’s normal to feel this way after living under restrictions for a year but knowing how to cope with your feelings is important in order to return to your lifestyle. Below are a few tips on how to manage your COVID-19 anxiety.

1. Continue to follow precautions. Even if you are fully vaccinated, remember to keep wearing your mask and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. While you may leave your house more by enjoying a walk outside, going into the grocery store or being around people in general, following the precautions can help you ease back into society.
2. Talk to a counselor. Work with Mercy’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to get the help you need. By talking through your anxieties, you can feel heard and your counselor can provide coping mechanisms to help you through high-anxiety situations. Sometimes, all you need is someone to listen to you to help you.
3. Don’t overload yourself with COVID-19 information. Watching the news, reading the newspaper or browsing through social media can cause your anxiety to spike because COVID-19 is a main topic in the news lately. Take a break from media outlets and researching COVID-related information; your mind needs to unwind.
4. Relax. Find an activity that helps you relax, such as meditating, exercising, cuddling with your pet or reading a book. When your anxiety is high, it’s important to know what calms you down.

If you are concerned about your anxiety and would like to talk to a counselor, contact Mercy EAP at (319) 398-6575 to schedule a video, phone or in-person appointment.