The pandemic has its toll on the way we think, eat, socialize and most importantly the way we perceive our lives and the stress that comes with it. COVID-19 has changed the way we communicate with others, has set some limitation on gatherings, social outings, interactions with other people as well as travelling to certain locations. This impost a huge amount of stress that an individual living in 2021 era is now facing.

To some people, change is already stressful, they had to take the fear of change, set it aside and adjust as the pandemic enforced a new order on all of us, we are now more accepting to change and we deal with it in a whole new perspective. During the pandemic and quarantine days we had to gradually come up with new ways to deal with the stress, the changes and deal with it in a new way.

New list of worries that have been added to our daily routines were like “Did I disinfect everything? Should I let my kids play with our neighbors? Should I send my kids to school in person? Should I socialize with that friend or take an exercise class? Should I go to that wedding? … Etc.”

To some people, living one day at a time has become their new way of dealing with day to day challenges, not thinking about the future, or the past just taking their precautions along with the vaccination and making sure to disinfect most of the things they bring home was one of the ways to deal with the extra stress.

Some others has adopted a new lifestyle where they started carrying out new activities, going to places they never been to, travelling to unknown locations and even buying that piece of furniture that they always wanted, Risk takers were motivated to do more and try new things, it was their way of dealing with the new imposed stress that COVID-19 added to their list.

Methods for dealing with pandemic stress:

Sleep well

Stress induced insomnia and not sleeping well can make you more irritable, more tired, less energetic, and is something that people should really pay attention to and just not accept. Try to make sometime for yourself during the late afternoon to, basically just write! Write down your worry list. If you’re able to focus on your worries at this specific time and classify them, they won’t intrude on your sleep at night.

Get support

We all need support sometimes, simply talking to someone such as a spouse, friend, doctor or counsellor can help relieve stress. Don’t be afraid to ask for support. There are also many websites online that can offer counselling, Maybe it’s time to call your counsellor or just check Betterhelp.com to connect with one online.

Find the things that bring you joy

Try to focus or to find things that make you feel accomplished, happy or connected. Whether it’s Watering your garden, reading a book in the afternoon or watching videos of your children when they were babies, these activities can alter your mood and mindset, go through your errands that you’ve always been postponing  

Spend more time in open spaces

Schedule time for fun, keep fun sacred from the things that are not fun, you have many choices to do in Jordan, whether you decide you want to go for a nice hike up in the north, You will find great places to relax away from the crowds, Mountain Breeze offers great deals to relax and disconnect, You also have great option that is 45 Minutes away from Amman, The Dead Sea Jordan where there is more Oxygen Concentration, where you can soak up Vitamin D from the sun, and enrich your body with Dead Sea Minerals, We also recommend visiting the Salt Room that is located at the Dead Sea Spa Hotel, for an extra nourishing activity for your soul and energetic levels.

Pay attention to your feeling so you can make appropriate changes

Pay attention to your negative feelings so you can figure out strategies to mitigate them. It’s hard when it’s this series of unwanted events. Once you realize the root of your negative feelings, you can take that information and instantly solve them.

Find ways to connect in an authentic way

Social support and connection are fundamental to our lives and our mental health, also to our sense of belonging. It’s good to share stresses and worries that have worked in terms of being helpful and things to avoid. Sometimes it is somehow helpful not just to think we’re in this together but also to hear from your friends and family members that they’re going through similar stresses.