{"id":8352,"date":"2020-04-29T05:52:30","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T09:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eatrightpa.org\/?p=8352"},"modified":"2021-10-30T03:37:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-30T03:37:32","slug":"mind-your-stress-during-a-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/2020\/04\/29\/mind-your-stress-during-a-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Mind Your Stress During a Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By: Lisa Jones<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-8354\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.eatrightpa.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/stay-home-4981866_1920-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>No matter where you look these days, the pandemic is causing stress in your daily life. Some of this stress is good. It keeps us motivated to do our best to protect our family and stay home, healthy, and safe. A little bit can go a long way, though, and constant or unmanaged stress can lead to health problems. While it\u00a0may be impossible to avoid stress completely, know that it is possible to manage it once it appears. \u00a0If you have arrived at or are approaching the point of \u201ctoo much COVID-19-related stress,\u201d continue reading to learn some effective techniques for managing the problem.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Check for the hidden signs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Check for hidden signs that you are stressed, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Eating more than usual, or drinking more alcohol than usual<\/li>\n<li>Sleeping more or less than usual, or having poor sleep quality<\/li>\n<li>Acting unusually rude to others<\/li>\n<li>Feeling constantly disorganized and\/or unproductive<\/li>\n<li>Becoming angry more quickly than normal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong>Here are several practices to mitigate stress during a pandemic: <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Practice gratitude<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Focus on the positive and be grateful for the good things in your life. If you have trouble doing this, try keeping a \u201cgratitude journal\u201d to help you focus on the positive. \u00a0Express your feelings without hostility and anger by practicing effective communication skills. \u00a0The \u201cvirtual\u201d world presents many opportunities to learn these important techniques through webinars, videos, and articles.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practice controlling what you can control<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The pandemic is out of your control, and stressing about it will not change that.\u00a0 However, you can do your part by following the shelter in place orders and washing your hands to help stop the spread and flatten the curve. \u00a0Ask for help to make changes to your schedule, deal with responsibilities, or to take time off to provide childcare. \u00a0Everyone is worried during this crisis and it is helpful to remind yourself that ultimately, it is out of your hands. \u00a0Constantly fretting about what may or may not happen will not change the outcome, but can harm you\u2014physically, mentally, and emotionally.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practice prioritizing<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Choose your priorities in your home life, work life, community, and yourself. \u00a0Pick one priority from each category to begin with and create an action plan that can be completed while social distancing. \u00a0Just planning on doing something will get you excited enough to provide encouragement. \u00a0Break seemingly overwhelming projects into smaller, more manageable pieces. \u00a0Accomplishing small goals on the way to completing a project can help manage stress.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practice relaxing<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Learn what helps you relax during this stressful period and allow time each day to enjoy those activities. \u00a0There are many ways to create a relaxing home environment according to your individual preferences. \u00a0For example, some people relax by taking a hot bubble bath with a magazine, while others may prefer increased physical activity. \u00a0Make a list of the things that make you feel more peaceful, and keep trying them out until you find a few that work. \u00a0One of the ways you can still get \u201coutdoors\u201d and enjoy nature is through a \u201cvirtual tour\u201d offered by some of our national parks.\u00a0 Also, try taking a deep breath\u2026literally.\u00a0 Learn to breathe diaphragmatically, also known as \u201cbelly breathing,\u201d by placing emphasis on your exhaled breath. Your belly should expand slightly when you inhale and go down as you exhale. It is best to inhale and exhale through your nose. \u00a0Focusing on this type of breathing has been shown to help many people relax.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>References and recommended readings<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/daily-life-coping\/managing-stress-anxiety.html\">https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/daily-life-coping\/managing-stress-anxiety.html<\/a>. Accessed April 9, 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Coping with stress at work. American Psychological Association.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apa.org\/helpcenter\/work-stress.aspx\">http:\/\/www.apa.org\/helpcenter\/work-stress.aspx<\/a>. Accessed April 9, 2020.MedlinePlus. Stress management. US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health Web site. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nlm.nih.gov\/medlineplus\/ency\/article\/001942.htm\">http:\/\/www.nlm.nih.gov\/medlineplus\/ency\/article\/001942.htm<\/a>. Accessed April 9, 2020.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-8353\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.eatrightpa.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Lisa-034-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Lisa Jones MA,RDN,LDN,FAND is a Philadelphia-based award-winning registered dietitian and nutrition communications consultant. She is a registered dietitian-nutritionist in the state of Pennsylvania and a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Lisa is currently serving as the chair elect for the Academy\u2019s Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group. \u00a0She serves on the advisory board for Consultant 360\/Nutrition411. In 2014, Lisa was recognized as Outstanding Dietitian of the Year by the Pennsylvania Academy, the highest honor bestowed upon a Pennsylvania Dietitian.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By: Lisa Jones No matter where you look these days, the pandemic is causing stress in your daily life. Some of this stress is good. It keeps us motivated to do our best to protect our family and stay home, healthy, and safe. A little bit can go a long way, though, and constant or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10238,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8352\/revisions\/10238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}