Student Worksheet

Keeping Anxiety At Bay During COVID-19 - Activity Instructions

Students will...

You will understand causes of anxiety and actions to support a positive response to anxiety
You will create a reflective writing piece exploring your feelings, thoughts and actions on COVID-19 to support your mental health.

Students can...

You can explain why certain words and images are chosen to portray meaning.
You identify actions that will support your mental health.
You can reflect and express how you feel about your current situation in the form of a letter.

READ THE CONVERSATION ARTICLE BELOW

Coronavirus is stressful. Here are some ways to cope with the anxiety

A tangible threat versus an invisible enemy

It hasn’t been an easy start to the decade. In the face of the summer’s bushfires, many of us contended with threats to our health, our homes and even our lives.

Even those not directly affected were faced with constant images of charred bushland, injured wildlife, and homes burnt to the ground.

The bushfires put a strain on our collective mental health, and it’s very likely some people are still struggling.

Natural disasters, though, are visible and tangible. There are things we can do to avoid the threat, manage the danger or mitigate the risk. We can see the smoke, check the app, buy an air purifier, prepare our homes. And despite the vivid images of floods, fires and cyclones, we know the storm will pass.

Epidemics are different. A novel epidemic is unknown, evolving and a global risk.

We are faced with a variety of information (and misinformation) online. Guidelines contradict each other, different states have different approaches, and experts disagree.

Meanwhile, infection rates climb as economies fall. We know we may contract the virus, and as yet we know there’s no vaccine to prevent it.

Read more: You're not the only one feeling helpless. Eco-anxiety can reach far beyond bushfire communities

While the bushfires united us, coronavirus seems to divide us

There’s an ugly side to ways we can deal with the stress of an unknown enemy like the coronavirus.

Some people blame potential carriers for their own illnesses, scapegoating people they see as high-risk. This is not helpful.

We also seek to manage our anxiety by trying to prepare ourselves and our families for the possibility of isolation or quarantine.

While this is reasonable to a degree, practices like stockpiling toilet paper and other goods can feed, rather than relieve, anxiety. Empty supermarket shelves can create panic, and further disadvantage people who might be living from week to week.

Epidemics isolate us from each other physically too, and this will only happen more and more.

So how can we put things into perspective?

We can take heart in knowing many people will develop only mild disease from the coronavirus.

There are of course vulnerable members of our community: those with compromised immune systems due to illness or age. We need to protect these people as a community by creating safe spaces for them to live, work and access health care, rather than fostering panic.

Read more: 'The doctor will Skype you now': telehealth may limit coronavirus spread, but there's more we can do to protect health workers

Our greatest asset lies in our own bodies. We may not understand how to best protect ourselves, but our bodies are experienced managers of novel immune challenges, and they will manage the risk as effectively as they can.

Ultimately, our best chance at surviving this virus relies on nurturing our bodies: avoiding exposure through hand-washing and isolation where appropriate, eating well, exercising, managing chronic illnesses, and getting enough sleep.

The anxiety a pandemic generates is inevitable. At the end of the day, we all need to learn to live with a degree of risk we can’t avoid.

Practical strategies to keep anxiety at bay

The World Health Organisation has developed some practical tips for dealing the stress of this outbreak. Here are a few of them:

accept that it’s normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, scared or angry during an outbreak
find ways to talk about how you feel with others, especially if you are in quarantine
remember to keep an eye out for your children during this time, and for loved ones who already have mental illness. They may need help dealing with this added anxiety
if you feel overwhelmed, seek support from a health professional
don’t use smoking, alcohol or other drugs to deal with your emotions. Keep your body as healthy as possible by eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep
limit worry by limiting media exposure to a few trusted sources
draw on skills you have used in the past that have helped you to get through difficult times.

Read more: 8 tips on what to tell your kids about coronavirus

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Dr Wendy Burton, a GP in Brisbane, contributed to this article.

Louise Stone, General practitioner; Clinical Associate Professor, ANU Medical School, Australian National University and Katrina McLean, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Bond University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Part A: What Do You Already Know?

Step 1.

What does ‘anxiety’ mean to you?

In the space provided below, you can either write or draw what you think about when you hear the word ‘anxiety’.

Step 2.

Definition: Anxiety

Use a dictionary or an online dictionary such as: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ to find the definition of the word ‘anxiety’.

Write it in the space below.

What are you nervous or afraid will happen in your world as a result of COVID-19 (coronavirus)?

Step 3.

Answer the following questions about the article.

1. Summarise the article in 30 words or less.

.2. Describe the key messages of this article:

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3. The article explains that bushfires ‘united us while coronavirus seems to divide us’. What do you think the writer means by saying this?

4. Explain some of the actions that heighten our anxiety rather than relieve it as identified in the article.

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5. In the middle of the article is an image of a tweet from Michael Rowland (see below).

6. Explain some practical strategies the article suggests will keep anxiety at bay.

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Part B: Putting It All Together

Step 1.

Go outside somewhere to a quiet space. This could be in your backyard or on a balcony.
When you find a quiet space, spend some time observing the environment around you.
During this time, record what you hear, see, smell and think in the circle below.

* You should spend about 15 minutes on this part of the activity.

Step 2.

Write a letter to your older self.

This can be you as a young adult in your 20s or it might be you in your 50s; this is for you to decide. Recount your current experiences to your older self ensuring that you share how you are feeling, how you are being impacted by COVID-19.

You should take the time to hand-write this letter to your older self.

When you are finished, put this somewhere safe.

Step 3.

Reflect

1. What are two positive things that have changed in your life as a result of COVID-19?

2. What are two strategies that you will commit to each day to help manage your anxiety about COVID-19? You could use this website link to help you with ideas:
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/personal-best/pillar/wellbeing/15-stress-busting-activities-to-help-you-relax

Start A Conversation

It is important to be connected.

Reach out to a friend, family member or classmate and check in with them. Ask them how they are feeling about COVID-19 and share your own feelings.
Have them set you an exercise challenge that you need to complete over the next week.

Taking It Further

Create a blog or vlog.

Each day record or write your thoughts and feelings.
Ensure that each day you focus on two positive things that happened and set a goal for something you need to achieve the following day.

Keeping Anxiety At Bay During COVID-19

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