Anxiety Archives - DeeDee Ginns Gruenberg

letting it go like a balloon Do you find yourself walking back to the refrigerator again and again? Are you flipping between the major news channels trying to find the latest stats and unhelpful news? Perhaps you are wondering if this “monster” of a pandemic will ever go away.

The truth is COVID -19 is bad enough without a side of anxiety, anger, or depression. Yet, COVID’s unpredictability and the uncertainty it created in all our lives has made anger, anxiety, and depression household figures even among people who rarely suffer from these emotions. The tension, rage, or sadness you may be feeling is common, but there are a lot better ways to deal with it than trying to eat your feelings away.

4 Healthy, Positive Options

When you’re feeling stuck, try one or more of these techniques to help pull yourself out of despair.

Turn It Off

For many, 24-hour news cycles where talking heads scream their opinions is not helpful. Tying their views to one political viewpoint or another is not helping viewers who just want accurate information. Social media will try to herd you into taking one side or another. Still, it rarely provides any type of solution.

If watching the news or reading through your news feed isn’t helping, change the channel. Try Tiger King on Netflix, watch a movie on HBO, or watch your old favorites on ME TV, Nick at Nite, or TV Land.

Let’s Get Physical

Keeping your body active will help you feel better, and keep your mind from wandering into dark places. Go outside and take a walk around the block, or try one of those Couch to 10K apps. If you don’t want to leave the house, head to YouTube, where you can learn how to do the Git Up dance, watch a How to Yoga Series, or find an exercise video you like and try it in the house.

Imagine if

Visualization is a powerful technique that you can use to push difficult feelings aside. Imagine you are walking in nature and picture yourself breathing in the crisp mountain air. Take a moment and smell someone grilling steaks or fish in the distance. Imagine you are holding a dozen colorful helium balloons in your hands. Each one of them represents a different problem that you are facing. Let go, and watch the balloons fly away, taking your worries high into the sky until they are so tiny, they disappear.

Focus on the Positive

Even during this pandemic, there are still positives going on in your life. Write those positives on Post-it Notes and leave them around your house. Practice some self-talk, saying phrases like “I can handle this” or “I’ve been through tough times before.”

If You Need More

If anger, anxiety, or depression are taking over your life, you should probably talk to a caring professional who can guide you through this difficult time.

Deanne Ginns Gruenberg is conducting telehealth sessions during COVID-19. All you need is an internet connection. There is nothing you will need to download. Schedule an appointment today.

Storybook Review by DeeDee Ginns Gruenberg

Dear Bear by Joanna Harrison is one of my favorite books to help children face their fears. A little girl named Katie is convinced that a terrifying bear lives under the stairs of her house. Worried and frightened of the bear, she believes the bear’s shadow follows her when she climbs the stairs.

Imagination at Play

Katie’s mom encourages her to write a letter to the bear and tell it to go away. The bear writes back to thank her for the wonderful idea and informs her he definitely needs a vacation. The thoughts running through her head after the bear writes back are beautifully depicted with numerous illustrations which begin with a bear that looks quite menacing to a smiling, friendly bear riding a bike and enjoying his trip. The bear includes a P.S. in his letter which informs Katie that he’d be “Back on Monday.”

Writing at Play

Upon his return, the bear leaves Katie a note and present on the piano letting her know he’s happy to be back. When she stops hearing from him, she misses him and becomes concerned that he is ill. This is an excellent opportunity to discuss who was probably behind the bear’s letter writing. With mom’s encouragement, she continues correspondence and inquires if the bear is ill. After receiving a letter confirming that he is “under the weather,” Katie prepares an antidote which she leaves outside the door under the stairs.

The Bear’s next letter confirms that he is feeling better and includes an invitation to join him for tea. Again, with Katie’s mom’s encouragement, she gets all dressed up and nervously descends the stairs. As she enters the little room underneath the stairs, she finds a cute teddy bear by a tea set with a note that reads “I’m tired of living under the stairs. Can I come up and live with you instead?”

Creativity at play

The heroine in this story models for the fearful child a creative way to conquer their fears through writing, communication, imagination, and play. By following this story’s example, countless children I’ve worked with have embraced the idea of writing a letter to the source “the villain” of their fears. By writing a letter, the child concretely communicates to villain, faces their fear and asks them to disarm or go away.

Following the initial letter, the child and I are free to use our imaginations to turn around that fear. We then write a letter from the villain in response to the child, and our imaginations are endless with positive endings, apologies, and words of encouragement which we can even act out.

The book Dear Bear offers a child many tools in which to face fear, worry, and anxiety. When learned, the tools of communication, writing, imagination, and play empowers a child to live with confidence and control.

Letting Go of Anger, Anxiety, and Depression during COVID-19