The ONE Action To Rid Yourself of Coronavirus Anxiety

The ONE Action To Rid Yourself of Coronavirus Anxiety

My baseball coach would sometimes show the entire team an ACE card, usually the Ace of Spades. He spoke of  having an “ACE up his sleeve.” 

The card was a reminder that Action Changes Everything– ACE. 

It is far easier to act our way into right thinking than it is to think our way into right acting. 

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Action Changes Everything. 

Times are stressful and indeed tough. Add to it, that we need to breathe better with masks. 

Experts and leaders pop-up every day with new information either confirming or disproving facts about our current situation. There is a lot of worry, financial insecurity, and fear of the unknown. Fear manages to keep us in a negative state longer than we want to stay and takes us further than we want to go. 

Sadly, stress and anxiety during these times will increase. It will also leave a residue of worry for many people and result in overall heightened anxiety and stress levels.

Anxiety, stress, and worry will remain high and for many it’ll become a new normal. The fallout from COVID-19 will result in a form of PTSD. 

So, what is the one cure to overcome coronavirus anxiety? 

Exercise and having a routine are pillars in our house about how to overcome this pandemic. But, there is a more powerful antidote.

The action is connection. 

Connection builds confidence and confidence breeds courage.

Social distancing, unfortunately, breeds a lack of connection. Thus, we have to integrate a deliberate plan to foster connection.

Here are three (3) steps to build the connection to beat Coronavirus anxiety. 

1. Pick 5 new people every day.

Go to your phone and select five random people to connect with. Thumb them a message checking in and asking a question. It’s simple but powerful. It’ll get a conversation going, but it will also get you thinking about somebody else and outside of your own head. The best relationships are not one-dimensional. 

Focusing on Five people is the core component of our 30-day Mental Toughness Challenge. 

One hack is to go to a different letter on your phone and simply start with five names there. I never knew I had so many “Mikes” in my contacts. 

2. Reach out to an old mentor or coach or Hinge person.

I love this tip from coach Ron Mckeefrey.  Send them a message or call letting them know what a difference that they made in your life. Try something like this “Coach, I haven’t told you this, but you made such a difference in my life because…” 

We may not know the result of our action, but if we take no action, there will be no result. WE may be the one to make a difference in their LIFE!

3. Call one person every day. 

Zoom meetings are fantastic, but just like regular meetings, people are guarded. Calling someone and being able to check-in with them about how you’re doing is massive.

A problem shared becomes half a problem. 

There is something magical that occurs when we hear ourselves speak. It takes our own issues and cuts them down. Being able to listen to someone else’s struggle also puts us back to a place where we will gladly take our stuff and problems back.

It grants us perspective. 

Now, we have to be careful. We can’t just talk to the same person every day and listen to each other complain about life. That simply breeds negativity and fear. 

Connection with other people is how we overcome coronavirus anxiety.

Mental health issues are increasing by drastic numbers because it is tough for everyone to deal, cope, and handle the stress and lack of control. The solution is through connection. It’s how we increase our mental toughness 

We have to be deliberate about connecting with one another. These action steps are by design, not by default. Unless we are intentional about building connection then it won’t get done.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it wasn’t destroyed in a day either. Our mental wellness takes the form of a slow decline unless we consistently take small action steps. 

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. DRB & associates coach executives and professional athletes. Some clients have included three different winners on the PGA Tour, Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens.