Post Pandemic Anxiety

Running Away from Anxiety

Anxiety can creep into our bodies without us noticing it because it often doesn’t happen all at once. Certain things will trigger it; you notice it, do breathing exercises, relax and move on. The more it happens, the more it becomes the norm, until one day you have a medium anxiety episode that warns you that the situation has become serious.

I guess I chose to ignore all the anxiety signs. I don’t sleep well, so the fact that I wasn’t sleeping wasn’t new. I was taking long afternoon naps, but I had the excuse of not sleeping. It’s been such a challenge to write on the blog and do quick photo tips, but I read that most people were finding it hard to do their daily tasks, so I felt that I was part of a club.

I was overeating, but the food in Portugal is so tasty! How can I not eat that tasty nata or the delicious fish with tons of fresh olive oil?

There were days that I felt lethargic but usually, those were the days that I didn’t go for a walk, and the list goes on and on. And there were many more days that I felt well and energetic.

I had an excuse for everything so I never thought that I had anxiety! But when I went to my doctor and he checked all my exams, we had a long talk. He told me that pandemic anxiety was more and more common. He said that He would have been surprised NOT to see this.

*Please note that I am only sharing my experience. If you are going through anxiety and have difficulty dealing with it or don’t know what to do, search for professional help. I am sharing some of the things that helped me deal specifically with my pandemic anxiety.

Personal anti-post pandemic anxiety solutions

My Private Consultations with Dr. Google

I spent hours on Google searching for anything and everything that had to do with anxiety. Dr. Google mentioned yoga, breathing exercises, gentle exercises, keeping a journal and more. I chose the one that I liked the best.

Adding more Movement to Your Body

Walking

I love to walk so that. is a no brainer. The problem was that I was beginning to get lazy about it so I made my walks shorter and I added photography and sketching to my walks. Anxiety can do that to you. It’s a challenge to fight lethargy.

Yoga

I remembered that I did a great online yoga class at Yoga with Adrienne so I started her 30-day challenge.

Meditation

I schedule meditation for 5 minutes a day- or listening to music time. This helped me so much but it took a while to like doing this.

Coffee

I stopped drinking coffee at 3:00 pm. That was a biggy.

 Sugar

My new meal plan doesn’t include sugar. Very sad.

Valerian

Valerian works very well for me. I drink Valerian tea around 5:00pm. I add a few drops of Valerian to my water around 9:00 pm and then again around 10:30 pm.

Tea

I drink a few cups of black tea and herbal tea throughout the day. I like the ritual of making tea with fresh leaves; it relaxes me.

Noise

Some people are more tolerant to noise than others. It’s a known fact constant and loud noise can cause anxiety. If you find that noise is an irritant, try to get away from it and if that is not possible there are a few things that can help:

-Wear noise cancellation earphones.

-Go to a quiet place to relax.

-if your house is noisy, get a white noise machine or an app.

These are all temporary solutions because the truth is that if you live in a very noisy place you may want to consider a move.

My Favorite Bench

 I have a favorite bench that faces the ocean on the Paredão, and I sit there for a few minutes when I finish my walk. The ocean’s noise relaxes me. It’s a perfect way to start the day.

 Staying Calm with Calm

I’m testing out the app Calm.

White Noise and Brown Noise

 My friend Susan just shared an app that produces brown noise and that has helped me so much! I am loving it. The app is called White Noise.

I believe that all these things are helping me deal with pandemic anxiety. I feel a lot better and I have been more active and less fearful. I am careful. I still wear a mask most of the time and I avoid large crowds. I love going out for lunch and sitting outdoors and I’m enjoying my new activities. Life is looking a lot more exciting.