Stress because of the corona virus – This is how you avoid corona stress!

Corona stress: Many people are shocked by the news of the corona virus in the world. A few weeks ago it hardly seemed to be a cause for panic and now one measure after another is being introduced to prevent it from spreading. It is not for nothing that many people are experiencing a high level of stress these days.

This can result in a disproportionate and irrational stocking of toilet paper to a fear of losing a job. Nevertheless, reason for corona stress is not necessary. In this article you will read more about the virus, the causes of the stress around and virus and how you can best deal with stress yourself. Do you feel tense or stressed by the corona virus? Do you suffer from corona stress? If so, read more about how you can prevent and reduce it.

What is the Corona virus?

First of all, it is clever to generate more clarity about the virus. Fear and tension often have consequences for situations that you do not understand or can’t comprehend properly. Since this virus is still so new and the scale of the outbreak is unheard of for our time, ignorance of the virus can cause a great deal of tension.

The corona virus has a name that knows how to describe the shape of the virus. Corona means crown. When you look at the virus under a microscope, you can see a virus form with crown-like ends.
The science that is currently trying to map out the virus better has been able to conclude that it has similarities with the SARS virus and also links to Hepatitis A.

The virus is a pathogenic virus. This means that the virus spreads via the air. Coughing and sneezing are ways in which people can transmit the virus. But if, for example, someone coughs in his hand and then opens a doorknob, the virus can survive on this surface for some time. If the next person opens the door and then doesn’t wash their hands and touches the mouth area, the virus can also spread.

Every day there are new findings about the virus, the way it is contained and possible vaccinations and medication. It is therefore important to follow the latest scientific developments for more information about the virus.

For example, follow the news on CNN.

What are the symptoms of the Corona virus?

It is good to know the symptoms of the virus in order to recognise any infection as quickly as possible. The clearest and most common symptoms of the corona virus are:

• Nasal colds
• Sore throat and coughing
• Fever

Symptoms can vary in intensity and people can be infected by the virus, but do not show any symptoms.

Please also note that the same complaints apply to a normal flu virus.

With burnout, more chance of Corona virus?

Do you have a higher chance of Corona with a burnout? The answer is both yes and no. In part, this can never be investigated scientifically in such a short period of time. You would then have to expose people with a burnout to the corona virus and compare it with another, healthy group of people. This often takes years of research and humanity is, of course, hard to find.

On the other hand, it is well known that people with burnout have a reduced resistance and that stress has an effect on the immune system. So to speak: people with severe stress and burnout are more likely to become ill.

So you cannot give a strongly substantiated answer to the question of whether someone with a burnout has a better chance of catching the Corona virus, but when you have a burnout, you are well advised to take full account of the precautionary measures.

It is important in this day and age to understand your circle of influence. When you make your circle of influence too big or too small in proportion to the circle of involvement, fear and a feeling of powerlessness can arise.

Coronastress

The fierceness of the news about the virus causes a feeling of anxiety and stress in many people. But it is important to reduce these times, stress and anxiety. You don’t really have much influence on the virus and the chance of infection. A good example to quote in these times is the circle of influence.

To understand the circle of influence, first of all the circle of involvement is important. This can be seen as a circle containing all the facets of your life that you find important. This can be family, work, dreams, but of course also health. Inside this circle, the circle is of influence. This is a smaller circle.

This circle symbolises the effect you have on the larger circle. It is important that you keep this circle in balance. After all, you never have a 100% influence on what happens outside your circle of influence. There will always remain a form of uncertainty and dependence on situations.

When stress remains dormant for a long time, there is a risk of burnout.

Where do you have influence?

It is not strange in these times to want to enlarge your circle of influence. You want to have a better grip on things in order to undermine a feeling of fear. It is important to always know that you never have 100% influence around the situations around you. Such a virus development is a good reminder.

However, you can considerably reduce your feeling of fear and stress when you can still exert influence in your daily life. Do you want to know what you can influence in connection with the virus? We have listed a number of things you can influence and how you can reduce your corona stress:

Hygiene

Good hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself and the people around you. By washing your hands more often, for example after you have been outside, after going to the toilet and before eating, you can certainly reduce the risk of infection. Also clean doorknobs, doorposts or surfaces  frequently used daily with soapy water to create a clean and hygienic environment.

Dear ones around you

The virus appears to have a greater impact on the elderly. You can exert your influence to give extra attention to the elderly around you. In contrast, this means that you do not visit them. How can you still help them? Order groceries for them online, call them more often and pay extra attention to the vulnerable people around you.

Resistance

Good resistance is crucial in order to combat disease. This is a perfect time to exert your influence on your health and resistance. Eat and drink healthier, keep moving and get enough sleep. A healthy body and mind can have much more.

Relaxation

Do you notice that the stress is having quite an impact on your life after all? Stop it by seeking more relaxation. Make use of the time you spend inside to pick up an old hobby, take a longer bath or try reading a book to relax.

Limit hysteria!

A good way to exert your influence is by paying less attention to the hysteria surrounding the virus. Limit your use of social media channels that can increase your stress and be sensible in the extent to which you follow the news. Being busy with the corona virus all day long, plus a media that naturally wants to see as many readers and viewers as possible, can increase stress throughout the day.

Doing your best is enough

So you really don’t need to have decades of stock of toilet paper and prepare for the end of time. Doing your best with the information you have and adhering to the precautionary measures is enough. You cannot get a full grip on the virus on your own and your influence is limited. So do what you can and avoid stressing every day.

Make sure that you are informed about the precautionary measures on a daily basis, such as not shaking hands, working at home, sneezing into elbows and avoiding vulnerable fellow human beings when you have complaints. At the moment, this is all you can do yourself and that you can influence.

Stress and irrational behaviour are therefore not necessary at all. You have more to offer yourself with this than it solves or helps.

Using common sense

When people are out of control, they can react irrationally. The fear of not having an overview or the fear of losing control is often seen in situations like this. Therefore, the most important thing today is to keep using your common sense. The situation may seem dire, but when you think about it calmly and consider what you can actually do, it is not that bad.

Encourage the people around you to limit the sowing of panic and continue to use common sense. Sowing panic has never helped anyone. Staying calm and analyse the situation and see what you can do is a lot more effective.

Corona stress and coaching

A fierce situation, such as the corona virus in the world, can suddenly make even the most stable people feel it on their hips. Suddenly there is fear and suddenly there is uncertainty. It is often external factors that can exacerbate problems with stress. It can be just the drop in the ocean that makes the bucket overflow.

Fortunately, you are not alone. You don’t have any symptoms of the corona virus, but since the virus suddenly you suffer from coronastress? Then coaching is highly recommended. Together with a coach, you can learn to look clearly at the situation. What is causing you to experience extra stress at the moment and how can you better deal with this in everyday life? Keep taking good care of yourself and that also means taking good care of your mental state. Don’t be afraid to sound the alarm in time when the stress complaints get worse.

In conclusion, therefore, it is wise to know what you are currently influencing. The news of the virus can certainly cause anxiety and stress, which is actually a fairly normal reaction. The grip on the situation seems to diminish and the feeling that you are losing control is an ideal recipe for stress. Fortunately, this is really not necessary.

Know what you can influence and do what you can. You really do enough. There is no reason for irrational behaviour, hoarding or sowing panic. Stay on top of precautions, do what you can and use your common sense. This is the best way to prevent corona stress.

Training and coaching

Milltain provides training and coaching for private individuals and organisations. Our team consists of 35 coaches and trainers who have now helped thousands of people struggling with stress and burnouts.

Milltain for private individuals:

Are you stuck in life because of stress or a burnout? We developed an effective online program that is fully focused on the complete recovery from a burnout. More than 2000 people have successfully completed this training!

Movement and nature play prominent roles in this training. Recovery is a process that contains peaks and troughs, and that’s something we know all about. Our highly experienced coaches provide you with active support.

Learn more: Stress and burnout coaching