Dealing with Stress During the Coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) Pandemic

How quickly life can change! It seems like yesterday that we didn't think twice about giving a person a hug, going out to eat, or to even touch a handrail. However with the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak all of the has changed. Not a day goes by that I don't have clients coming in for sessions, now often online, that are experiencing anxiety and stress over this situation. I certainly can't blame them! Every time we check the news we hear the number of confirmed cases having climbed, we are needing to isolate ourselves from others, and are being forced to change how we do even the most mundane activities. Needless to say, this is a major cause of stress for many people.

What makes this even worse is that stress can have a negative impact of our health, both physically and emotionally. Some clients have asked if hypnosis can help help support the immune system, and while it is not going to keep you from getting COVID-19, there have been research (J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. (2001) 69, 674–682 SW ) that suggests that it could be of help in boosting the immune system. This is not to say that you can hypnotize yourself and omit the precautions that the CDC has put forth, but it might be worthwhile to explore as one additional tool to help.

In the next week or so, I plan to release a free audio hypnosis recording to help anyone that wants to use hypnosis as an adjudicative tool during this difficult time. In the meanwhile, you can still help yourself by getting in a healthy amount of exercise, sleeping 8 hours, eating healthy, and focusing on what is positive in your life. In fact, keeping a journal of what positive events happened during your day, can be of great benefit during this situation.

Stay well, wash your hands, keep proper social distance, and know that I am here to help to the best of my ability.