The stress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has become a global phenomenon. Fear and anxiety about the pandemic and consequent uncertainty causes emotional upheavals among people. In India, stress and anxiety among people are increasing day by day when the country is passing through unlock 2 with more than 7,50,000 Covid cases. Over the past five months, people have been practicing social distancing, isolation, work from home and following dos and don’ts. While infected people fight the disease, others are worried about the spread. Some are going through economic hardships, worries about jobs, and fear of loved ones dying. In the midst of all these problems we are intensely missing one essential factor — lack of social interactions.
Several studies about mental health have shown that stress is on the rise due to social isolation and loneliness. The lack of social interactions leads to depression and anxiety. That is why there is a saying that “people need people”. Since we cannot change the circumstances that cause stress, the best strategy is to find out the effective way to manage it. There are lot of tools and techniques available for effective stress management. One of these tools which is more effective for the current crisis is “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT, which was originally called comprehensive distancing, is a form of counseling and a branch of clinical behavior analysis.
Steven C. Hayes developed ACT in 1982 in order to create a mixed approach which integrates both cognitive and behavioral therapy.
ACT develops psychological flexibility and is a form of behavioral therapy that combines mindfulness skills with the practice of self-acceptance. Acceptance and commitment therapy invite people to open up to unpleasant feelings and learn not to overreact to them or avoid situations where they are invoked. The techniques of ACT are divided into three broad categories. Acceptance, Mindfulness and Committed actions based on values:
Acceptance: During the pandemic, awareness and acceptance of the present situation matters most. Instead of feeling panic, let us be real that not only covid-19 is out of control but also all other aspects of our life including job, financial situation, socializing, freedom to travel etc. Simply look at the situation you are in /accept. Look for options you can choose within this reality rather than trying to change the reality itself. Accept that “I am having a difficult time with this and It is all part of the process. It is not a single person’s problem. The whole world is experiencing and we will get through this”. It is truth that we cannot always change what we experience, but we can change how we think about these experiences.This is the core belief of ACT. Because the main goal of ACT is to accept one’s present circumstances, become more comfortable with them and then empowered to move in a productive direction with a positive and minimal stress.
Mindfulness:As we deal with world’s increasing complexity and uncertainty, mindfulness can lead us to be resilient and efficient. This is a very simple concept. Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way. It is a practice of noticing what you don’t normally notice. Anyone can do it. It doesn’t require anyone to change their beliefs. This helps to increase the awareness, clarity and acceptance of our present-moment reality. For example, next time when you go for a walk, look around and observe what you see, hear, and sense. Or when you wash Clothes/Dishes, you can sense the temperature of water, watch the soap bubbles or colours of your clothes. While cutting vegetables, observe the texture and color. These are simple mindfulness practices anyone can do. Apart from this one can do mindfulness meditation with the help of a trainer/therapist.It is not possible to be mindful all the time.Research tells us that our minds wander at least 50% of the time. When the mind wanders, just notice the thoughts and then focus to our work, even it is for a short time. The only aim of mindful activity is to continually bring our attention back to the activity, noticing those sensations, from outside and within us. When we are mindful, we reduce stress, enhanceperformance, gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind and increase our attention to other’s well-being.
Committed actions based on values: Values give life meaning and purpose.To identify our values, we can think about what it is in life that is “really” important&what gives our life meaning and purpose. For example, which is more important to you?Relationships, careers,healthy living, money, charity work or something else? Think about what legacy you want to pass on. Set the goals based on the values and carry them out responsibly. Knowing our values helps us to move in the right direction. In the present situation, it is very important to commit to practice self-care daily by keeping a healthy diet, sustaining personal hygiene, exercising, getting enough sleep, set boundaries to screen time/gadgets, engaging in hobbies, keeping a journal and practicing meditation.In addition, commit ourselves to the practice of showing empathy to the people surrounded as pandemics are great equalizers and never show any discrimination.
Covid-19 pandemic has intensified uncertainty over the economy, employment, finances, relationships &health (both physical & mental).Thus, it is the need of the hour to cope with stress in a healthy way that makes you and the people around youstronger. Acceptance Commitment therapy help to reduce the stress created by these uncertainties and recognize that dealing with this challenge can make you more resilient and confident
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