We are living in anxious times. Yes, anxiety levels are heightened as we continue to navigate day-to-day life during a pandemic. Chances are, even if you have never personally experienced anxiety, you may have had an anxious thought or two over the past few months.

Anxiety can be described as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. An anxiety disorder differs from everyday anxiety in the following ways:

• It is more severe.
• It is more persistent.
• It interferes with everyday activities, studies, and relationships.
• If not treated, it continues to cause real pain and distress, and can lead to poor academic performance, impaired social functioning and other negative outcomes.

If you or someone you know is experiencing anxiety which fits the above description, contact a behavioral health care professional. Many telehealth options are now available.

If your anxiety does not fit the description of an anxiety disorder, but you are among the many experiencing the general anxiety of the current times, the following may be helpful in easing the anxious mind.

• Acknowledge the feeling: actually name what you are feeling, i.e. anxious, nervous, worried, tense, overwhelmed.
• Notice where you feel the effects in your body: this might be a tight feeling in the throat or the chest, a headache or queasiness in the belly.
• Practice a mindful moment: anything that helps to ground you and bring you back to the here and now. Anxiety is typically produced by thinking about something in the future. You might try practicing the 5,4,3,2,1 grounding technique:
  • Take a deep belly breath to begin.
  • 5 - LOOK: Look around for 5 things that you can see, and say them out loud. For example, you could say, I see the computer, I see the cup, I see the picture frame.
  • 4 - FEEL: Pay attention to your body and think of 4 things that you can feel, and say them out loud. For example, you could say, I feel my feet warm in my socks, I feel the hair on the back of my neck, or I feel the pillow I am sitting on.
  • 3 - LISTEN: Listen for 3 sounds. It could be the sound of traffic outside, the sound of typing or the sound of your tummy rumbling. Say the three things out loud.
  • 2 - SMELL: Say two things you can smell. If you’re allowed to, it’s okay to move to another spot and sniff something. If you can’t smell anything at the moment or you can’t move, then name your 2 favorite smells.
  • 1 - TASTE: Say one thing you can taste. It may be the toothpaste from brushing your teeth, or a mint from after lunch. If you can’t taste anything, then say your favorite thing to taste.
  • Take another deep belly breath to end.