With the coronavirus still continuing most people are unfortunately stuck in lockdown. The side effect of this is that many people are experiencing serious mental health problems. Unless you’re already a hermit, you’ll probably find that lockdown is an extremely frustrating experience. It may even make you angry. And this is an immense problem for people who already suffer from substance abuse and anger management problems says Johnny K – owner of True Life Recovery detox services in Orange County, California. But what can you do about this? How can you manage your anger during lockdown? To help with this here are 7 ways to stay calm when locked down for months on end.
1. Find Ways To Distract Yourself
Whether you like it or not, lockdowns are now a fact of life, and you simply have to get through them. Instead of sitting around in a state of anger and frustration you need to find a way to pass the time and distract yourself from what is going on. In fact, you need to see this as an opportunity to be productive. There are dozens of ways to pass time during lockdown. One of the best is to take up a new hobby.
Perhaps you’d like to learn a new language or start reading books, or write a novel or something like that. Lockdown also gives you the chance to complete chores you’ve been putting off for years. For example, you might want to clean your house from top to bottom and throw out all of the clutter you’ve accumulated over the years. You can also use this time to complete DIY or home improvement projects. Sit down and brainstorm some way to pass the time. Remember, you want to find some way to use this time productively, instead of sitting around in a state of anger and frustration.
2. Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to let go of the negative emotions of pain and frustration. This is because strenuous exercise helps your body release good chemicals like serotonin and endorphins. It also helps to lower the amount of hormones like cortisol (this is the hormone which makes you feel angry and frustrated).
Just because you’re in lockdown doesn’t mean you need to stop exercising. Most people feel that they need to go to the gym or for a jog to get exercise, but this really isn’t true. These are many creative ways to exercise at home. One of the easiest ways is by doing bodyweight exercises like push-ups or squats (if you search online there are dozens of other bodyweight exercises). You may also purchase exercise equipment such as a treadmill or spinning bike. The bottom line is that exercise is the best way to pass the time during lockdown, and also deal with anger management issues.
3. Mediate Or Start Yoga
One of the easiest and most effective ways to overcome anger and stress is by meditating. Meditation is scientifically proven to calm you down and lead to a deep state of relaxation. This is also a useful skill to learn during lockdown. Whenever you’re feeling angry simply sit down and close your eyes for 5-10 minutes. Focus on the thoughts in your mind and simply allow them to drift away until your mind is still and empty. Then focus on your breath as it flows in and out of your body. This is the simplest way to meditate, and doing this for just a few minutes twice a day, will gradually help you become a more relaxed person.
Along with meditation you may also want to take up yoga. This practice is a great way to exercise during lockdown, it’s also scientifically proven to help you relax and stay calm during lockdown. Yoga also has many physical benefits that promote calm, such as reducing inflammation, lowering levels of cortisol and also blood pressure.
4. Socialize Virtually
Just because you’re in lockdown doesn’t mean you have to stop socializing. In fact, lack of social interaction can lead to all sorts of mental health issues, one of these being anger, frustration, and rage. There are dozens of ways to socialize using the internet. You can have video chats or calls with family members and friends. Plus there are dozens of online chat rooms which you can use. There are thousands of people on these chat rooms who you can interact with, and you may even make new friends.
5. Take Care of Yourself
If you’re tired, hungry, or stressed out, then this will only make you more angry. To avoid this you need to take care of yourself. Make sure that you’re getting enough sleep and also practice good sleep hygiene. Just because you’re locked down, doesn’t mean you have to stay up watching TV, or playing video games all night. Try to stick to a regular sleep schedule and get at least eight hours of sleep per night.
You also need to eat right. Many people have fallen into the habit of ordering take out, because they don’t want to go to the grocery store during the pandemic. This is perfectly understandable, but it’s something you need to avoid. Junk food is extremely unhealthy and will make you gain weight quickly. Eating right will help you stay healthy and avoid feelings of anger. In fact, you should see lockdown as an opportunity to lose weight and get into shape. Finally, try to avoid alcohol and drug abuse. This is another lockdown temptation which many people are dealing with, but abusing these substances will only make you more angry.
6. Keep a Journal
Another great way to overcome feelings of anger is by keeping a journal. It helps to keep a diary of what’s going on in your life. This will help you get negative feelings onto paper, and will also help you identify things which trigger your anger.
7. Seek Help
If none of the above points help then it may be time to seek help. One of the unusual side effects of lockdown is that virtual therapy has now become extremely popular. There are now hundreds of companies providing virtual therapy sessions and you may find these extremely useful.
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