Staying Connected: A Note from Anna Carugati

Anna Carugati, the group editorial director of World Screen, on just how much emotional wellbeing matters amid isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.

I’m in my eighth week of staying at home. I began remaining indoors, except for runs to the grocery store and solitary social-distanced walks, before most others in the New York area because I’m over 60 and have been taking my cues from Italy. My 95-year-old mother and two older sisters live outside Milan. They were placed on lockdown at the beginning of March and thankfully have remained safe and healthy. It was apparent to me that COVID-19 was going to hit New York City hard, if for no other reason, because of the density of its population.

I also started staying home before everyone else because I suffer from anxiety. This nasty, irritating roommate has lived in my brain since I was young but has been rearing its dreadful head increasingly often in the last ten years. The novel coronavirus is anxiety’s once-in-a-lifetime, dream amusement park.

Living with anxiety has some benefits—it has always made me over-prepare, whether as a child in school or as an adult at work. Anxiety and a severe fear of failure (anxiety’s cousin), can be powerful motivators to do a job well. Or to plan and take action early—I bought latex gloves, masks, disinfectant wipes, acetaminophen, cough medicine, canned soups and non-perishable foods while they were still readily available. I hadn’t thought about stocking up on toilet paper, though…

On the other hand, anxiety and fear of failure can also take you down the unproductive rabbit hole of over-thinking and over-worrying, leading not only to exaggerating the reality of a situation but also to your heart beating at 5,000 RPMs, your chest tightening and irregular breathing. In short, living with anxiety is like trying to swim upstream, with a one-ton load strapped to your back.

I mention this because while so much attention now is rightfully on maintaining physical health, safeguarding mental health is equally important; and should not be disregarded, diminished or ignored. While anxiety starts in the mind and can spiral into irrational worries, it absolutely can create real conditions in the body. When coupled with stress, and elevated doses of uncertainty, which the current COVID-19 situation is doling out daily, anxiety can increase blood pressure, adversely impact digestion, impair sleep patterns, and trigger a host of other maladies.

There is so much to be anxious about right now—and let me be clear—I’m talking about those of us at home, not the heroes on the frontlines: doctors, nurses, emergency responders, even delivery people and grocery and pharmacy employees. Those of us doing our part by staying at home are fretting over not getting sick, taking care of those who are, not knowing when life will return to “normal,” dealing with financial challenges, balancing working from home and looking after children stripped of their school and extracurricular routines. Not to mention those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. Just going to the grocery store, dodging other shoppers, bringing groceries and produce home and figuring out how to decontaminate them, and contemplating how to long to let a package that has been delivered sit before it’s safe to touch—it’s all so stressful and anxiety-inducing.

There are ways to diminish anxiety when it takes hold of you—the most effective is to move your attention to something else quickly. These techniques work for me, and they take practice. I encourage you to find what benefits you. Breathing techniques: four deep breaths in and four deep breaths out, repeat as many times as needed. Visualizations: imagine a place you love. Close your eyes and look around that place, see as many details of it as possible. Hear the sounds. Imagine smelling as many odors and touching as many objects as possible. Imagine any tastes associated with that place. Engaging the five senses helps to distract you from the source of anxiety. Mindfulness and meditation obviously work, but they require a level of focus not always available when staving off an anxiety attack.

Going for walks also works, if you can do so now. I’ve walked the inside perimeter of my apartment over and over when I’ve felt anxiety rise up. Exercise of any type is a proven anxiety and stress buster, but again, that may not be an option now. Yoga takes up as much space as a floor mat, and there are numerous free courses online. Reading, music and beloved TV shows are also soothing tonics. Nothing like a favorite song or TV episode to quickly propel you to a less stressful time and place.

Most importantly, talk to someone, a trusted friend or relative. If that’s not possible, write about what is concerning you. Research supports the therapeutic effects of describing and externalizing your worries. There is absolutely no shame in seeking the help of a professional. Therapists, like doctors, are seeing patients via telemedicine. In the U.S., the American Psychological Association, apa.org, lists numerous resources. I’m sure other countries have similar organizations offering help.

Stay well physically, but don’t ignore your emotional health. Helping yourself allows you to better help others. The cruel irony of COVID-19 is that now when we need deep reserves of patience, understanding and compassion, we are irritable; our tempers flare. We risk being unfeeling or hardhearted with those closest to us.

Be kind to yourself and others. Try not to let anxiety and stress get the better of you. You are not alone. Stay safe.